When he won last year’s Vuelta a Espa帽a at the age of 41, Chris Horner also became the . He was all set to compete again this year, but his team, Lampre-Merida, has that he will be replaced by Grand Tour newcomer Valerio Conti.
Simply put, this is a real damper for Horner’s illustrious cycling career. He’s competing successfully well beyond the prime age for most cyclists, and this decision takes away Horner’s shot at defending his title very close to the time for retirement. But the reasoning behind removing Horner from the , which begins Saturday, is more complicated.
Team Lampre-Merida is a voluntary member of the (MPCC), a group that enforces stricter anti-doping policies than the 聽(UCI). Among MPCC’s rules are on what levels of cortisol are healthy for competing cyclists. Earlier this year, Horner suffered from bronchitis, and UCI authorized him for cortisone treatment. The treatment lowered Horner’s cortisol level to a point that was too low for MPCC’s standards, though UCI would have allowed him to race.聽
“I must accept the situation without regrets,” Horner said in a Lampre-Merida statement. The statement also emphasized that the team’s membership in MPCC is completely voluntary, and the decision to remove Horner from the Vuelta roster “reaffirms [Horner’s] adherence to the principles underlying the MPCC organization 鈥� [despite] this being an important appointment for the athlete after an investment had been made on behalf of the team.”