Christine Thorburn was born on September 17, 1969. She hails from Palo Alto, Menlo Park area, while her hometown was Davenport Iowa, the heartland of the nation, known for wholesome living, friendly people, the corn belt of the United States. Christine certainly is a friendly person, as I met her once at Mclane Pacific criterium in Merced California.
Christine was a runner, converting to cycling during her college days at Stanford while studying to become a doctor. She moved from Iowa to California in the early 90's to attend Stanford University which is known as one of the best medical universities in the states. Her specialty is rheumatology, and today she is known as Dr. Christine Thorburn. Competing in the Olympics has always been her dream, and while attending Stanford she was encouraged to join their club team. Christine became both a decent climber and an excellent time trial specialist.
Copyright or © Joe Gross sfcycling.com
Christine was fast from the very beginning, but soon she learned team tactics and started to benefit from the support of a team. She joined Webcor and has been winning for the last three years still riding for Webcor in 2006. Christine became focused and quite intent on making it to the top. She was selected for the Olympics in 2004 by winning the women's individual time trial at the U.S. Cycling Federation national championships at Redlands. Add to that, she placed 2nd in the road race.
She then went on to place 4th in the Athens Olympics women's time trial passing 4 women along the route, and just one place off the medals, while another America, Dede Barry took the silver. Christine also rode well that year in Redlands classic taking 3rd place on the final GC. She was the last rider to hold Jeanson's wheel, something many a rider knows only too well, trying to bridle the machine from Lachine is not an easy task. Christine took 3rd overall at the Sea Otter classic as well, attacking hard on the climbs. In the Tour of the Gila, Thorburn won stage 3 out sprinting Lynn Gaggioli in a close last second sprint.
Copyright or © Bruce Johnston
Christine Thorburn!
In 2005 Christine Thorburn and her team did an amazing job defending her lead at Redlands Classic from start to finish. Christine also took 3rd place at the US Elite Time Trial Championships in Park City Utah. In Tour of Montreal, Christine took stage 1 (TT), beating the queen from Lachine world cup winner Geneviève Jeanson! Again in Nature Valley Grand Prix Thorburn took the opening time trial putting a whooping 14 seconds on Kimberly Baldwin, and went on to win the classic in Minnesota.
Christine was the series leader of the Women's Prestige Cycling Series after battling with Annette Beutler and Geneviève Jeanson in Redlands and Nature Valley. Christine was the only rider to go under 10 minutes in windy conditions of the prologue at Redlands. Santa Ana winds are notoriously fierce and sometimes like a furnace. Christine went on to win the series in 2005 after placing 2nd in the final GC of the Tour De Toona.
In the 2005 World Championships, on the Cardenal Herrera, Christine broke away at a frightening pace for several kilometers churning away a high cadence in small gears, which threw a scare into her opponents. Christine is amazing to watch with her low geared fast action pedal stroke, this is poetry in motion at its finest. While she didn't win the worlds, she made her mark by showing what she is made of. In 2006, Christine took 3rd place in the World Time Trial Championships and won the overall in the Tour of Montreal, as well as winning our local Cat's Hill Classic.
The Worlds is a showcase of the finest talent in the sport, and it's nice to see the Americans out in front giving it their best! I think Christine is a phenomenal time trial rider, a world class talent, good climber and stage racer, good all around talent that could easily be with us for many years to come! I tip my hat to this giant of a lady, Christine Thorburn, cheers to you!
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2002 - 1st place in Pomona Valley Stage Race, USA.
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Links to articles about Christine Thorburn.
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Country: USA
2002 - Palo Alto Bicycles
1st - 3rd Expand
April 12, 2002 - Pomona Valley Stage Race, USA - 2nd place in stage 1, Glendora Mountain Time trial (TT). April 12, 2002 - Pomona Valley Stage Race, USA - 1st place on the final GC. June 22, 2002 - CMI Coastal Classic, USA - 1st place in road race, Pescadero California. September 28, 2002 - Mount Tamalpais, USA - 2nd place in Road Race, Marin County California.
February 2, 2003 - Early Bird Criterium Training Series, USA - 2nd place in Criterium, Fremont California. February 15, 2003 - Pine Flat Road Race, USA - 2nd place in the Road Race, Orosi California. May 11, 2003 - Berkeley Hill Road Race, USA - 1st place, Pindle California. May 25, 2003 - Mt Hamilton Classic, USA - 1st place in the Road Race, San Jose California. August 16, 2003 - Corral Hollow Road Race, 1st place in the Road Race, Livermore California. February 21, 2003 - Snelling Road Race, USA -3rd place, Snelling California.
March 24, 2004 - Redlands Bicycle Classic, stage race in USA - 3rd place in stage 1, Crestline Road Race (RR), Redlands California. March 25, 2004 - Redlands Bicycle Classic, stage race in USA - 2nd place in stage 2, Redlands Ford Oak Glen Road Race (RR), Redlands California. March 28, 2004 - Redlands Bicycle Classic, stage race in USA - 3rd place on final GC, Redlands California. April 16, 2004 - Sea Otter Classic, stage race in USA, 3rd place in stage 1, Laguna Seca Circuit Race, Monterey California. April 17, 2004 - Sea Otter Classic, stage race in USA, 3rd place in stage 2, Salinas Valley Road Race (RR), Monterey California. April 17, 2004 - Sea Otter Classic, stage race in USA, 3rd place on final GC, Salinas Valley Road Race (RR), Monterey California. April, 24 2004 - Wente Vineyards Classic 2004, USA - 2nd place in the Road Race, Livermore California. April 28, 2004 - Tour of the Gila, stage race in USA, 3rd place in stage 1, Tyrone Time Trial (TT), New Mexico. April 29, 2004 - Tour of the Gila, stage race in USA, 3rd place in stage 2, Silver City to Mogollon Road Race (RR), New Mexico. April 30, 2004 - Tour of the Gila, stage race in USA, 1st place in stage 3, Inner Loop Road Race (RR), New Mexico. May 16, 2004 - California Outdoor Sports Championships, USA - 1st place, Supercuts criterium, Sonoma California. June 17, 2004 - US Elite Championships and Olympic trials, USA - 1st place in time trial (TT), Redlands California. June 19, 2004 - US Elite Championships and Olympic trials, USA - 2nd place in road race (RR), Redlands California. July 8, 2004 - Cascade Classic, stage race in USA - 1st place in stage 1, Deschutes Brewery Road Race, Bend Oregon. July 9, 2004 - Cascade Classic, stage race in USA - 1st place in stage 2 time trial (TT), Tumalo. July 11, 2004 - Cascade Classic, stage race in USA - 1st place on the final GC. August 29, 2004 - Esparto Time Trial, USA - 2nd place, Esparto California. 2004 - National Rankings - 3rd place.
March 12, 2005 - Central Valley Classic, stage race in USA - 3rd place in stage 1, Kearney Park Circuit Race, Fresno California. March 31, 2005 - Redlands Classic, stage race in USA - 1st place in Prologue (TT), Mt. Rubidoux Time Trial, Redlands California. April 1, 2005 - Redlands Classic, stage race in USA - 1st place stage 1, Oak Glen Road Race, Redlands California. April 3, 2005 - Redlands Classic, stage race in USA - 1st place on the final GC. April 10, 2005 - Morgan Hill Grand Prix, USA - 1st place, Morgan Hill, California. April 15, 2005 - Sea Otter Classic, stage race in USA - 3rd place in stage 1, Laguna Seca circuit race, Redlands California. April 16, 2005 - Sea Otter Classic, stage race in USA - 3rd place in stage 2, Fort Ord Road Race, Redlands California. April 16, 2005 - Sea Otter Classic, stage race in USA - 3rd place on final GC, Redlands California. April 25, 2005 - Pan-American Championships, South America - 2nd place in time trial (TT), Mar Del Plata, Argentina. May 7, 2005 - Cat's Hill Classic, USA - 1st place, Los Gatos California. May 30, 2005 - Le Tour du Grand Montréal, stage race in Canada - 1st place in stage 1a (TT), Lachine. June 8, 2005 - Nature Valley Grand Prix, stage race in USA - 1st place in time trial (TT), Saint Paul Riverfront, Minnesota. June 9, 2005 - Nature Valley Grand Prix, stage race in USA - 1st place in stage 2, Mankato Road Race (RR), Minnesota. June 12, 2005 - Nature Valley Grand Prix, stage race in USA - 1st place in final GC, Saint Paul Riverfront, Minnesota. June 12, 2005 - Nature Valley Grand Prix, stage race in USA - 2nd place in Mountains classification, Minnesota. June 21, 2005 - US Elite Championships, USA - 3rd place in time trial (TT), Antelope Island, Park City Utah. June 26, 2005 - Burlingame Criterium, USA - 1st place, Burlingame California. July 27, 2005 - International Tour de Toona, stage race in USA - 1st place in stage 3, Johnstown Altoona Road Race (RR), Altoona Pennsylvania. July 31, 2005 - International Tour de Toona, stage race in USA - *1st place on final GC, Altoona Pennsylvania. August 10-13, 2005 - US National Track Championships, USA - 2nd place in Women Individual Pursuit Final, Los Angeles, California. August 14, 2005 - Esparto Time Trial, USA - 1st place in time trial (TT), Esparto. 2005 - National Rankings - 1st place. 2005 - NRC Rankings - 3rd place. 2005 - Women's Prestige Cycling Series - 1st place.
January 1, 2006 - San Bruno Mountain Hill Climb, USA - 1st place in the Road Race, San Bruno California. March 10, 2006 - Central Valley Classic, stage race in the USA - 1st place in stage 1, time trial (TT), Belmont-Piedra time trial, Fresno California. March 24, 2006 - Redlands Cycling Classic, stage race in USA - 3rd place in stage 1, time trial (TT), Panorama Point Time Trial. March 26, 2006 - Redlands Cycling Classic, stage race in USA - 2nd place in stage 3, Sunset road race. March 26, 2006 - Redlands Cycling Classic, stage race in USA - 2nd place on the final GC. May 13, 2006 - Cat's Hill Classic, USA - 1st place, Los Gatos California. May 29, 2006 - Le Tour du Grand Montréal, stage race in Canada - 1st place in stage 1, time trial (TT), Lachine. June 1, 2006 - Le Tour du Grand Montréal, stage race in Canada - 1st place on the final GC. June 1, 2006 - Le Tour du Grand Montréal, stage race in Canada - 3rd place in the points competition on the final GC. June 14, 2006 - Nature Valley Grand Prix, stage race in USA - 2nd place in stage 1, Saint Paul Riverfront Time Trial, Minnesota. June 18, 2006 - Nature Valley Grand Prix, stage race in USA - 3rd place on the final GC. July 15, 2006 - Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic, USA - 1st place, Sonoma California. July 8, 2006 - USA Cycling National Festival, stage race in USA - 2nd place in stage 3, Seven Springs Pennsylvania. September 20, 2006 - World Road Championships, 3rd place in the time trial (TT), Salzberg Austria. 2006 - National Rankings, 2nd place.
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