Last Stand for Chris Horner: Astana Pro Hopes for One More Tour de France Ride

At 36 years old, like it or not, Chris Horner's days as a top-flight Euro pro are numbered. He's coming into the second year of a two year contract, and his final chance to ride the Tour de France may well be approaching for the 2009 season. He is on a stacked Astana team, and finding a spot on a Tour team with the likes of Levi Leipheimer, Haimer Zubeldia, Andreas Kloden, and Lance Armstrong (Contador will be gone) may prove difficult.

Compounding the problem is the fact that Horner has a frosty relationship with Armstrong. The two were never teammates as pros, and Horner was often outspoken against Armstrong's perceived dominance of the peloton. Now, as a teammate to Big Tex, horner will have to foster a positive relationship with the seven time Tour champ if he is to earn a spot on Astana's roster for the 2009 Tour.

Whether Horner can be an asset in the Tour is not in question. The question is whether he'll be able to set himself apart from other talented Astana riders (Benji Noval, Janez Brajkovich, Jesús Hernández, José Luis Rubiera) in the early season. In fact, Horner's most important race of 2009 may end up being the Tour of California, where he'll first have a chance to ride with Armstrong. Assuming that he performs well as a support rider there, perhaps he'll be able to count Armstrong as an ally when the Tour selection process begins.

The future beyond 2009 is cloudy for Horner. There is little doubt as to whether he can still ride competitively. the real question may be for who? Astana probably won't renew his contract for 2010, and there are few other top level European teams that would be willing to throw big money at an aging American rider. Horner may find himself having to come back to the American domestic peloton if he is to continue to earn team leader money.

Five years ago, coming back to the US to race would be considered a step down to many riders. But today, things are different. The tours of California, Georgia, Missouri, and Utah are all difficult and competitive, and the Triple Crown of Cycling event in the Philadelphia region in June features the best riders in the world as well. More and more, America is becoming a place filled with the best riders from Europe and the world. And if Horner is willing, he could own the domestice circuit over the coming years as the leader of a top domestic team.