Horner beats odds, makes RadioShack Tour de France roster.

//Horner beats odds, makes RadioShack Tour de France roster.

Horner beats odds, makes RadioShack Tour de France roster.

 

Horner pulls off the long shot.

 

Give the man props: Chris Horner just pulled off a two extremely difficult moves in one week.

His brilliant PR counter move dispelled any fears that his back injury probably saved his selection to the US Olympic team. It also created a firestorm of media and fan support for RadioShack Nissan Trek to reconsider leaving him off the Tour de France squad. Horner’s quick thinking and immediate reaction was a bold and savvy move and it paid off big.

He then followed that with another smart PR trick, jumping to the public support of Lance Armstrong and by definition, his team boss Johan Bruyneel. Again, clever because Bruyneel and Lance are big on loyalty. His instant reward was a phone call for Johan and a promise to reconsider his Tour participation.

Bang. In one short week Horner went from losing his final shot at the Olympics and being dropped out of the Le Tour, to making both teams with flying colors. Horner is famous for his tactical abilities when racing. He just showed us all how well he reads the races.

Now, just how far can Horner go in France? With Frank Schleck declining the role of captain at Le Tour, is there a final miracle in the works? Can the 40 year old bald guy pull off a top ten in Paris like he did in 2010? No matter what, The Smiler has a big grin on his face today.

 

By |2019-02-03T16:08:18-08:00June 18th, 2012|Uncategorized|2 Comments

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2 Comments

  1. pillowsplat June 19, 2012 at 5:06 am - Reply

    Chris is one the best things about the TdF. I was part of that fan support. I have never met the guy. But his interviews and racing are something to look forward to. Now granted this all depends on the Shlecks self distructing (not a big gamble) but we now have something to cheer for. I suspect Chris will go deep and has the mental toughness to keep the pedal down. If he can get the timing right, showtime baby! The Lance support……I would love to be a fly on the wall.

    • walshworld June 19, 2012 at 2:05 pm - Reply

      I can’t wait to see what he can do in Le Tour. Could be an awesome story. Let’s just hope he makes it through the first week without crashing. Matt

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