Ever since he came back to Europe in the fall of 2004 with Saunier Duval, Chris Horner has been making the most of his second opportunity at the big leagues.

It took him a few years longer than he expected to return to Europe after an unhappy three-year run at Française des Jeux in 1997-99, but now that he’s back, the 34-year-old from Hood, Oregon, is taking maximum advantage of the opportunity.

That includes racing in this week’s world championships, where he’ll be one of the team leaders for the American team in Sunday’s elite men’s road race.

Fresh off finishing 20th in the Vuelta a España, Horner admits that the Americans are outsiders against the pre-race favorites Italy, Spain and Belgium. (Riders from the U.S. have only won the world’s roadrace three times – Greg LeMond in 1983 and 1989 and Lance Armstrong in 1993.)

VeloNews caught up with Horner in the final days of the Vuelta, here are excerpts of the interview:

VeloNews.com: So you’re going into the world’s as the team leader, what are your expectations?

Chris Horner: I would think so. The form is pretty good. That’s something the next couple of days I should be able to back off a little bit. I’m 20th in GC, so I can’t let up. But at the same time, I haven’t been throwing blood and guts into it. Even if I threw everything into it, it wouldn’t matter because I can’t stay with the leaders. I am five minutes off, I would be three minutes off maybe, but there’s not any difference between 15th or 20th or 22nd. A top 10 is worth throwing in a bunch of effort, but not a top 15.

VN: What will you do between now and the world’s?

CH: I go back to Denia, three days there and then to Salzburg. I’ll have Friday and Saturday to check out the course. That’s plenty of time.

VN: From what you’ve heard about the course, what kind of race do you expect?

CH: I don’t know the course yet, but it shouldn’t be super, super-hard, so it could be a case where a good group of riders can get away. The world champs normally doesn’t work like that, if it’s a little too hard for the sprinters, but not so hard that the top guys can ride away, so maybe you can gamble a little bit.

VN: How are the legs coming out this Vuelta? Do you think you have a medal in your legs?

CH: I am definitely not 100 percent, so I will need a little bit of help with some tactics. I have one or two good moves, I don’t have eight or 10. That’s my problem here, I can cover one move. It doesn’t work, the next move goes and – boom – that’s it.

VN: The Americans always come into the world’s as underdogs, that looks like the same scenario this year?

CH: We’re always underdogs going into world’s. You always have the Italians and Spanish on another level. The Belgians will be motivated this year. The Americans could be at that level if all the top guys wanted to stay in Europe and stay motivated. We’ve all been training for the Classics and the Tour. You got those top five or six guys like the Hincapies going back to the States, then for the rest of us, we’re not racing at the same level as we were. If you look a guy like Bettini, he’s super-motivated for it and he’s flying.

VN: You’ve obviously chosen to ride several world championships in your career, why do you like it so much?

CH: I am a bike racer. That’s what I do. I don’t mind staying longer. I am still here and I am going to do Lombardy and all those races, so I am going to stay until October. It’s the world championships. It’s a great place to be. The fans are great. It’s one of the best one-day races in the world. It’s something different and you’re hanging out with the whole American crew, so it’s not hard on the head.

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Wednesday September 20Time Trial women (10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)Time trial under-23 men (12:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.)
Thursday September 21Time Trial men (11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.)
Saturday September 23Road Race men under-23 (7:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.)Road Race women (12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.)
Sunday Sept 24Road Race men (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.)