Horner closes on top spots in California

After five stages of the Tour of California, Bend’s Chris Horner finds himself just 31 seconds back with three stages to go. The Team RadioShack rider is 11th overall and is trying to add a good finish to his numerous lifetime achievements.

For Horner, the Tour of California title is one of the few major American titles that he has never won. The 38-year old is a three-time National Champion and has already won both the Tour of Basque Country and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco in 2010.

With the two wins this year, Horner’s world ranking has skyrocketed to No. 9 in the world. No other American is in the top-25 spots.

After being left off the Tour de France roster in 2009 by his team Astana, Horner decided he might need to look for a new team. When he joined Team RadioShack for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Horner was joining huge cycling names like Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer.

After five stages, Team RadioShack is winning the overall team competition.

 The next major tour after the ride through the Golden State is the Tour of Belgium at the end of the month followed by the Tour de France.