Horner's future remains in play

By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor in Las Vegas, Nevada

American Chris Horner made it known in August that he was very much open to new team possibilities for the 2008 season. Not long after rumors that he was being courted by the up and coming American Rock Racing team surfaced, and was recently confirmed by Cyclingnews at the Interbike trade show last week. However, it seems that Horner may still on the market as Slipstream-Chipotle is now expressing serious interest in the ProTour domestique.

Director sportif Jonathan Vaughters told Cyclingnews that his negotiations with another ProTour domestique, Discovery Channel's Jason McCartney, had come to an end without the two agreeing on a contract. This leaves one more allowable spot on the team per UCI regulations, which Vaughters is hoping to fill with the experienced Horner.

The bidding for Horner could turn interesting as the Rock & Republic backed domestic team, owned by the aggressive businessman and designer Michael Ball, will be matching up against a team with a budget approaching ProTour levels.