Stanford University (M.D.)

Olympic Experience

2004 (4th, women's time trial; 15th, women's road race)

Personal

With a fourth-place finish in the time trial at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and a bronze medal at the 2006 UCI Road World Championships, Christine Thorburn has become known as one of the world's fastest female cyclists and medical doctors.

A 1988 graduate of Pleasant Valley High School, Christine went on to run cross country at Grinnell College in Iowa where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. It wasn't until she was a graduate student at Stanford University's School of Medicine that Christine discovered competitive cycling. After suffering a knee injury that became aggravated whenever she ran, Christine was encouraged by a good friend and member of the Stanford University Cycling Team to join the program. By 1998, she helped Stanford to a second-place finish at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships.

Christine received her medical degree from Stanford University in 1999, became Board certified in internal medicine in 2002, and later completed a Medicine residency and postdoctoral fellowship in Rheumatology in 2006, also at Stanford. Later that year, she began working full-time as a rheumatologist after opening her own practice at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic.

Today, Christine balances a full-time work schedule as a medical doctor with her training and racing program as a member of USA Cycling's Women's National Team and the Webcor Builder's Women's Professional Cycling Team.

Off the bike Christine focuses on her medical career and enjoys spending time with her family, friends and husband, Ted.

Point of Interest

Christine was awarded the Carol King Sportsmanship Award in 2005 for outstanding sportsmanship.
Christine's breakthrough performance on the bike came in 2004 when she won the time trial at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to earn a trip to the Athens Olympic Games

Athlete Bio

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