Chris Horner on my flight Monday

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Date: 02 Aug 2007 00:32:36
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

Chris Horner was in the row in front of us as my son & I returned from
France on Monday. E+ section on UA 943 (Paris-Chicago). I've come across
Chris a few times before, and he always comes across as a genuinely nice
guy.

He had some interesting stories to tell about the Roach Motel they stayed
in; it had apparently been bombed (fumigated) a couple days earlier, smelled
like it, and had dead & not-quite dead roaches all over the hallways, with
staff at the hotel making no attempts to clean them up (just went to some
trouble to avoid stepping on them). Sounds like a far cry from the palatial
hotel the Disco boys were staying in while in Pau (had to pick something up
there; pretty heavy security, as you'd expect).

My son didn't think it was Chris at first, even though he'd met him a few
days earlier in Pau. When I suggested to him that's who it was, he told me
"No way, that guy looks really old." Had to explain to him what years of
riding in the sun does to you. : >)

At customs in Chicago, Chris was just ahead of us in line. When it was our
turn, I mentioned to the agent that the guy he'd just helped was one of the
riders from the Tour de France. He seemed totally unimpressed by that. Guess
it could have been worse; what if the agent had been on the take from
L'Equippe?

Overall we had a great trip. My son (14 years old) tackled the Port du Bales
and Col d'Aubisque and actually had a good time doing them. Quite a change
from where he was two years ago, devoted to TV & video games.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Date: 02 Aug 2007 10:17:08
From: Bill C
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

On Aug 2, 12:03 pm, Doug Taylor <dtay...@dreamscape.com > wrote:
> On Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:52:10 -0700, Bill C <tritonri...@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >Cool story, and I second the opinion that Chris is a really nice guy.
>
> He is also a great commentator and his video diaries on Velonews were
> a real plus in this year's tour.
>
> http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/news/articles/13031.0.html
>
> He has a future TV/radio career if he wants it when he retires from
> his day job.

Then maybe he'll do more cyclocross too. Don't think his team is gonna
let him race Nats this year like he did last year.

>From the Elite Men:
25 20 Christopher HORNER
Specialized
Bend OR 1:04:03

My wife ran registration for the last two years so she spent lots of
time talking to everyone, especially the Elites to get everything set
for them, and Chris is one of the people she really liked and says was
great to work with and talk to.
Bill C

Date: 01 Aug 2007 20:57:36
From: tony
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

Date: 02 Aug 2007 01:42:15
From:
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

On Aug 1, 8:32 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mi...@ChainReaction.com > wrote:
> Chris Horner was in the row in front of us as my son & I returned from
> France on Monday. E+ section on UA 943 (Paris-Chicago). I've come across
> Chris a few times before, and he always comes across as a genuinely nice
> guy.
>
> He had some interesting stories to tell about the Roach Motel they stayed
> in; it had apparently been bombed (fumigated) a couple days earlier, smelled
> like it, and had dead & not-quite dead roaches all over the hallways, with
> staff at the hotel making no attempts to clean them up (just went to some
> trouble to avoid stepping on them). Sounds like a far cry from the palatial
> hotel the Disco boys were staying in while in Pau (had to pick something up
> there; pretty heavy security, as you'd expect).
>
> My son didn't think it was Chris at first, even though he'd met him a few
> days earlier in Pau. When I suggested to him that's who it was, he told me
> "No way, that guy looks really old." Had to explain to him what years of
> riding in the sun does to you. :>)
>
> At customs in Chicago, Chris was just ahead of us in line. When it was our
> turn, I mentioned to the agent that the guy he'd just helped was one of the
> riders from the Tour de France. He seemed totally unimpressed by that. Guess
> it could have been worse; what if the agent had been on the take from
> L'Equippe?
>
> Overall we had a great trip. My son (14 years old) tackled the Port du Bales
> and Col d'Aubisque and actually had a good time doing them. Quite a change
> from where he was two years ago, devoted to TV & video games.
>
> --Mike Jacoubowsky
> Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
> Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

When I flew out of Paris, I saw all the top French BMX riders, as they
were headed off to Vancouver for BMX worlds. The self-supported riders
were quite pleasant, as were their parents. They knew
everything there was to know about their sport including all the track
riders who started out of BMX, as did their parents who were
accompanying them. It's quite amazing to hear a middle aged French
housewife talking about Jamie Staff's palmares. She was from St.
Etienne, and was claiming that Raphael Geminani's brother was working
at her bank, which I found a little hard to believe, since I estimated
Raphael Geminani's age as about 83 at least, and the French have a
pretty much universal retirement age of 65. Anyway, things were
radically different when the French national team showed up. First
came a truck from the F.F.C. with 3 technicians carrying in all the
team member's packed bikes, and then checking in for the riders who
only had to wait as everything was being done for them. I was tempted
to ask them whether they had started paying the damages
they owed to the guy who got paralyzed at 1995 track worlds.

As is usual for national teams, I got a clear sense of ignorance and
stupidity from the
riders, as opposed to the independents were pleasant and seemed fairly
clever. In my
experience with riders up for the national team (all Stanford
graduates), the national bosses avoid
independent thinking like the plague. However, among the national team
members was Anne-Caroline Chausson who obviously does not fit in with
my blatant stereotype. In the following week, I never heard
anything about the event anywhere on the 65 cable channels at my
disposal in my hotel.

-ilan

Date: 02 Aug 2007 01:01:24
From: Artoi
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

In article <EC9si.25405$RX.8403@newssvr11.news.prodigy.net >,
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com > wrote:

> Chris Horner was in the row in front of us as my son & I returned from
> France on Monday. E+ section on UA 943 (Paris-Chicago). I've come across
> Chris a few times before, and he always comes across as a genuinely nice
> guy.
>
> He had some interesting stories to tell about the Roach Motel they stayed
> in; it had apparently been bombed (fumigated) a couple days earlier, smelled
> like it, and had dead & not-quite dead roaches all over the hallways, with
> staff at the hotel making no attempts to clean them up (just went to some
> trouble to avoid stepping on them). Sounds like a far cry from the palatial
> hotel the Disco boys were staying in while in Pau (had to pick something up
> there; pretty heavy security, as you'd expect).

Based on my travels, Europeans have a very different expectation out of
a hotel. No surprise that the Belgian Predictor-Lotto team picked that
hotel. OMG.
--

Date: 02 Aug 2007 01:32:31
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

>> He had some interesting stories to tell about the Roach Motel they stayed
>> in; it had apparently been bombed (fumigated) a couple days earlier,
>> smelled
>> like it, and had dead & not-quite dead roaches all over the hallways,
>> with
>> staff at the hotel making no attempts to clean them up (just went to some
>> trouble to avoid stepping on them). Sounds like a far cry from the
>> palatial
>> hotel the Disco boys were staying in while in Pau (had to pick something
>> up
>> there; pretty heavy security, as you'd expect).
>
> Based on my travels, Europeans have a very different expectation out of
> a hotel. No surprise that the Belgian Predictor-Lotto team picked that
> hotel. OMG.

You don't have to spend a lot of $$$ to get a passable place to sleep
though. We spent our first 5 nights in an Etap in Tarbes @45 euros/night (39
for one person, 6 euro supplement for a 2nd). It certainly wasn't fancy, but
it was clean, had a queen-sized bed plus bunk, TV, air conditioner and
pleasant staff at the desk.

Next two nights were at an Ibis in Perigueux @65 euros/night (no extra
supplement). A bit nicer room, bigger bathroom, TV with same 14 channels,
air conditioned.

Final two nights in Paris at the Concorde Montparnasse. Seemed like the Ritz
compared to the other two, but still pretty reasonable (for Paris) at 90
euro/night (prepaid rate, no cancellation allowed).

Point is, it doesn't cost a fortune for a decent place to sleep. All of them
were clean and comfortable, although the Etap, after bringing in two bikes,
didn't have a lot of extra room! Plus no closets or drawers to put anything
into either, so you're pretty much living out of your suitcase. Been there
done that plenty of times before though!

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Date: 01 Aug 2007 17:52:10
From: Bill C
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

Date: 02 Aug 2007 12:03:02
From: Doug Taylor
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

On Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:52:10 -0700, Bill C <tritonrider@verizon.net >
wrote:

>
>Cool story, and I second the opinion that Chris is a really nice guy.

He is also a great commentator and his video diaries on Velonews were
a real plus in this year's tour.

http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/news/articles/13031.0.html

He has a future TV/radio career if he wants it when he retires from
his day job.

Date: 02 Aug 2007 00:50:43
From: Tom Kunich
Subject: Re: Chris Horner on my flight Monday

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com > wrote in message
news:EC9si.25405$RX.8403@newssvr11.news.prodigy.net...
> Chris Horner was in the row in front of us as my son & I returned from
> France on Monday. E+ section on UA 943 (Paris-Chicago). I've come across
> Chris a few times before, and he always comes across as a genuinely nice
> guy.
>
> He had some interesting stories to tell about the Roach Motel they stayed
> in; it had apparently been bombed (fumigated) a couple days earlier,
> smelled like it, and had dead & not-quite dead roaches all over the
> hallways, with staff at the hotel making no attempts to clean them up
> (just went to some trouble to avoid stepping on them). Sounds like a far
> cry from the palatial hotel the Disco boys were staying in while in Pau
> (had to pick something up there; pretty heavy security, as you'd expect).
>
> My son didn't think it was Chris at first, even though he'd met him a few
> days earlier in Pau. When I suggested to him that's who it was, he told me
> "No way, that guy looks really old." Had to explain to him what years of
> riding in the sun does to you. :>)
>
> At customs in Chicago, Chris was just ahead of us in line. When it was our
> turn, I mentioned to the agent that the guy he'd just helped was one of
> the riders from the Tour de France. He seemed totally unimpressed by that.
> Guess it could have been worse; what if the agent had been on the take
> from L'Equippe?
>
> Overall we had a great trip. My son (14 years old) tackled the Port du
> Bales and Col d'Aubisque and actually had a good time doing them. Quite a
> change from where he was two years ago, devoted to TV & video games.

In one San Francisco Gran Prix Chris was asked to come over to the press
area and be interviewed and then everyone mobbed Lance and left him standing
there for about 15 minutes before he got tired of waiting and left. Even
though that would have pissed me off, it didn't seem to bother Chris at all.
There's no doubt that he has a really good attitude. Something very good for
a single Dad to have.