Our man Brian C. Grenier chats to Toyota-United's co-captain Chris Wherry...

By Brian C. Grenier

While the bikes were being washed and packed on the truck and the riders were heading off to the 7 winds I had a moment to catch up with the Toyota-United Co-Captain and team veteran Chris Wherry. At 34 Chris is one of the undisputed leaders of the team! 

Chris was the 2005 USPRO Champion, no small feat, but a moment that catapulted him into the ranks of the sports elites. Sharing the duties of leadership with new team mate Henk Vogels Chris brings a unique blend of 10 years of experience in the pro circle but also a demeanor that fits the team exceptionally well!

Out there in the cycling world everyone sees Chris Wherry as a certain person and that is built around what is published and passed down as urban legend, but when it comes down to it, 'who do you see your self as?'

Well that is a good question but when it comes down to it at the end of the day I see myself as a cyclist more than anything else. I have been fortunate in that I have been in this sport for 22 years now. I do what I love for a living and what more can some one ask? I have a love for the sport and I enjoy it so much even riding off-road at times to mix things up. This is a great sport and I am very fortunate to be with this team and do what I love. But yeah, at the end of the day I see myself as a cyclist!

Within the 22 years you have in cycling how have you seen the sport change and where do you see it going in the future?

When I first started cycling 22 years ago cycling was at a pretty high level in America - things like the Coors Classic - things like that, then there was a dip there for a while where the popularity waned. However over the past 10 years there has been a huge expansion in the sport at all levels - there is more talent, more teams and the public is getting more and more involved every season! This year with the expansion of the Pro Tour and the growth of the National Race Calendar there is nothing but positive growth. 

What do you see as the difference between American Cycling and European Cycling?

I raced a good bit in Europe over the years, well no, I raced a lot in Europe with Saturn, Mercury as well as the Navigators! I think European cycling is like the highest level there is in cycling. However here in the states we are in a good place for sure it is super competitive and a much cleaner place to race you bike. I couldn’t be happier to race here in America and have the Pro Tour guys come here and race on American soil!

What type of training do you do when you are out on your own?

I think I do pretty much what every other professional cyclist does I guess. I put in a lot of hours and miles in the saddle. When there is a event on the horizon I plug in some intensity to bump things up. I guess it becomes second nature after being at this level for so long. I guess I just look forward to getting on my bike no matter what it is what I do!

What goals do you have for the 2007 season?

I want to have some good rides in the tour events and lead the team to victory in the Pro Tour and the National Race Calendar. On a personal level I want to get back the USPRO Jersey in September!

The team is looking just awesome right now and now that camp is over how do you see things working out this year?

The guys are all looking great! Obviously the guys from the southern hemisphere have an edge over those from the north right now but overall we are looking strong and are getting better every day. The unique thing about this team is that we get along fairly well so you put any two of us into any situation and we will work for each other and have a good time doing it!

NOTE:   I had an awesome time bringing this set of interviews from the Toyota-United training camp! The people in this organization were awesome and accommodating to work with, from the top management all the way to the reason it all exists, the riders! With the Tour of California less than a week and a half away I can only see good things ahead for the team. I would like to get the other riders into the spot light too. The team has so much talent that with scheduling it was a task to get the guys free for even a moment but nothing gets in the way of training! In the future I would like to get the younger riders together in a group and have a little fun of it, hopefully at the Tour of Georgia where I will get to spend some real time with the team!