Horner wants to keep racing, says agent
'He has sorted out his illness and he's fighting fit'
Although the Lupus Racing team is set to disband at the end of the season Chris Horner has no intention of hanging up his wheels, according to his agent Baden Cooke.
Horner, who turns 45 in October, won the Vuelta a Espana in 2014 and after a year with Lampre has since ridden for domestic teams in the US. In the last two seasons, Horner has suffered from recurring lung problems that have affected his ability to race, however Cooke believes Horner is now fit and healthy.
"He has sorted out his illness and he's fighting fit," Cooke told Cyclingnews.
"He's planning on continuing. At the moment we're just trying to find him something but with the developments over his health he's in better shape than he's been over the last two years. By all reports his health problems are all over now."
Horner is no stranger to looking for a last-minute contract and has spent several years trying to convince teams that he is still an asset. This off-season could continue that pattern with a shrinking market in the US.
"He's pretty relaxed. He's not super stressed and he knows how he's feeling. If he can't perform he doesn't want to be on a team and if he can't perform straight away he's ready to cancel any deal that he does. He's certainly not it in for the money. He's in it for the sporting side.
"I think he'll always find something," added Cooke.
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"He only won the Vuelta three years ago so he's always going to be good enough to make some team, somewhere. As long as he's still got the fight in him. If he wants to ride in his 40s that's his choice. I don't think anyone can tell him that he's not strong enough."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.