# Horner to Lampre



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Horner linked to Lampre-Merida for 2014 - VeloNews.com


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

Glad to see Chris find a home for the season, also with a good team.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

After all the rumours flying about him negotiating with a team, I'll believe it when he has signed the dotted line. However about the time that the rumor him signing with Caja Rural started, he did put out this tweet so I thought a signing was close. Maybe he was talking about Lampre-Merida???

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Heading out the door for training now, so no new team signings in the next few hours… </p>— Chris Horner (@hornerakg) <a href="https://twitter.com/hornerakg/statuses/422470963590987776">January 12, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

love4himies said:


> After all the rumours flying about him negotiating with a team, I'll believe it when he has signed the dotted line. However about the time that the rumor him signing with Caja Rural started, he did put out this tweet so I thought a signing was close. Maybe he was talking about Lampre-Merida???
> 
> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Heading out the door for training now, so no new team signings in the next few hours… </p>— Chris Horner (@hornerakg) <a href="https://twitter.com/hornerakg/statuses/422470963590987776">January 12, 2014</a></blockquote>
> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Yep, I just saw this:

Horner offered to other teams as well as Lampre, says Copeland | Cycling News


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Rashadabd said:


> Yep, I just saw this:
> 
> Horner offered to other teams as well as Lampre, says Copeland | Cycling News


Well this from the above link is different



> Copeland explained that he has brought Cooke’s proposal before Giuseppe Saronni - who is now responsible for managing relationships with the team's sponsors - and the team owners, but that nothing concrete has been decided.


From this in the original posted link



> Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source close to the deal between Horner and Lampre said the contract was “essentially 100-percent done.”


So now I'm wondering if it's Horner's new manager that is starting all these rumors to keep Horner in the news???


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Could be man, something kooky is going on.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

"essentially 100% done" from an anonymous source.

Sounds legit. LOL


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Kooky.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

looigi said:


> Kooky.


Thanks.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Here's an update:

Lampre manager Copeland hopeful he can sign Horner - VeloNews.com


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Lampre?
Cunego is a real has-been. Compared to him, Horner is still full of potential.


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## SNS1938 (Aug 9, 2013)

Rashadabd said:


> Here's an update:
> 
> Lampre manager Copeland hopeful he can sign Horner - VeloNews.com



Interesting reading. 

''The big question remaining, of course, is whether Lampre can come up with the funds for the Vuelta champion; Horner is rumored to be seeking a $1 million salary.“We are working on this,” Copeland said. “Finding budget during the season is difficult for any team, never mind trying to find it in January. However, we want to offer Chris what he deserves.”

Now does 'what he deserves' = $1million?


Hopefully he gets the deal and spices up the racing in 2014.


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

SNS1938 said:


> Interesting reading.
> 
> ''The big question remaining, of course, is whether Lampre can come up with the funds for the Vuelta champion; Horner is rumored to be seeking a $1 million salary.“We are working on this,” Copeland said. “Finding budget during the season is difficult for any team, never mind trying to find it in January. However, we want to offer Chris what he deserves.”
> 
> ...


Considering that other recent GT winners are making much more than this, it doesn't seem at all out of line. Froome is earning around 3M GBP per annum, Wiggins around 1.5M GBP, Nibali around 4M Euro and Contador 2.5M Euro after a pay cut this season. I would personally give Horner better odds on another GT win than Contador.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Fireform said:


> . I would personally give Horner better odds on another GT win than Contador.


C'mon, that's just crazy talk. Contador had a soft year and still challenged for the wins. You're too easily forgetting who he is.


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

davidka said:


> C'mon, that's just crazy talk. Contador had a soft year and still challenged for the wins. You're too easily forgetting who he is.



A convicted doper who hasn't lived up to his _pre-doping suspension_ form?
There's a special forum here to help those to remember who he is  .


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Kooky.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

cda 455 said:


> A convicted doper who hasn't lived up to his _pre-doping suspension_ form?
> There's a special forum here to help those to remember who he is  .


There is no reason to believe that anything has changed in his "abilities". Given the nature of his suspension it's hard to imagine he'd need to change methods. Ie. It's a safe bet that he'll continue to be on of the world's best stage racers. 

Given the revelations of the past few years and t super human performances we continue to see from riders who hadn't show such potential prior, is the doping discussion even worth having anymore?


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

davidka said:


> There is no reason to believe that anything has changed in his "abilities". Given the nature of his suspension it's hard to imagine he'd need to change methods. Ie. It's a safe bet that he'll continue to be on of the world's best stage racers.
> 
> Given the revelations of the past few years and t super human performances we continue to see from riders who hadn't show such potential prior, is the doping discussion even worth having anymore?


I see your point.


But be careful in this forum. I was nearly caned for remotely bringing up the _'you know' _topic.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

I guess it's official:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Yees now it's official! <a href="https://twitter.com/hornerakg">@hornerakg</a> it's a <a href="https://twitter.com/lampre_merida">@lampre_merida</a> rider! Wellcome on board Chris ! (Soon all the official details from our website).</p>— Team Lampre Merida (@lampre_merida) <a href="https://twitter.com/lampre_merida/statuses/428787633419210752">January 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Congrats, Chris!


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

Whew!


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

It is true. 

Lampre confirms signing of Chris Horner for 2014 season - VeloNews.com


I'm a big fan of Chris and really happy to see that a big team signed him as a protected GC rider. I do have this nagging thought in my head though that Lampre is where one-off Grand Tour winners go to die.... (well, Scarponi was riding for Lampre when he won the Giro but he has been unable to repeat the performance).

Chris has the talent to win another GT but I doubt it this year. Whether or not he can hold onto his form for another year is yet to be seen. Every now and then there is a GT that can be won by a pure climber; this Vuelta was one of them. Chris is one of the best climbers in the world, on par with (or possibly better than) Froome, Contador, and Nibali. Unfortunately for him, a la Andy Schleck in 2011, all of them in good form will annihilate him in a time trial. If Evans is in good form for the Giro, he will do the same. 20k more time trialing and Nibali would have won the Vuelta solidly. He should be able to animate the race well though and KOM is an achievable goal for him.


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

Nice to see him get a ride.

Seems like a nice guy who was poorly advised by his people - he was lucky to get a ride with a World Tour team. Hope he inked for at least two years.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

LostViking said:


> Nice to see him get a ride.
> 
> Seems like a nice guy who was poorly advised by his people - he was lucky to get a ride with a World Tour team. Hope he inked for at least two years.


Just one.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

I'm glad he made it back for one more season. It will be interesting to see what races he participates in this year. It would seem likely that Lampre will want him in the Giro and one would think that Chris wants to try to defend his Vuelta victory. 

I guess he'll have to get used to the pink/green/blue color combo.


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

Great news, looking forward to seeing him on some stage races.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Flieger67 said:


> I'm glad he made it back for one more season. It will be interesting to see what races he participates in this year. It would seem likely that Lampre will want him in the Giro and one would think that Chris wants to try to defend his Vuelta victory.
> 
> I guess he'll have to get used to the pink/green/blue color combo.


It sounds like the Giro and Vuelta:

Horner Signs With Lampre-Merida | Cyclingnews.com


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Rashadabd said:


> It sounds like the Giro and Vuelta:
> 
> Horner Signs With Lampre-Merida | Cyclingnews.com


What's their TdF plan or is everyone going to step back and let Conador, Schlecks on Treks, and the Skyborgs duke it out?

IDK, my gut feeling is that he crashes out dang near all the time and retires next year.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

spade2you said:


> What's their TdF plan or is everyone going to step back and let Conador, Schlecks on Treks, and the Skyborgs duke it out?
> 
> IDK, my gut feeling is that he crashes out dang near all the time and retires next year.


The World Champion Rui Costa is their TdF plan.

Lampre confirms signing of Chris Horner for 2014 season - VeloNews.com


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

spade2you said:


> IDK, my gut feeling is that he crashes out dang near all the time and retires next year.


That's a valid concern, given his record in recent years. OTOH, having been a valuable and steadfast domestique since his return to Europe, it's great that he has a chance to ride for glory in two GTs. 

Go Chris!


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

“If he rides like he did at the Vuelta, he can eat cheeseburgers every day,” he said. “The experience of Chris is huge. He’s been around 20 years. It’s difficult to change the mentality of veteran riders. If they’re used to following a program, and they’re ready to race, we’re open to it.”

I think they're missing and opportunity here. They should should hit up McDonalds for sponsorship money.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

The Giro will be really good this year with Horner in it. I think he will be really motivated to challenge Quintana. Evans may even show up in top form. 
If Horner shows the same form he had in the Vuelta, it will be really interesting to see how he measures up to Quintana. We'll see in 4 months!


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

burgrat said:


> The Giro will be really good this year with Horner in it. I think he will be really motivated to challenge Quintana. Evans may even show up in top form.
> If Horner shows the same form he had in the Vuelta, it will be really interesting to see how he measures up to Quintana. We'll see in 4 months!


If the weather is warm during the Giro, Chris should do well as he admits he is a hot weather racer. Hopefully there won't be a repeat of last year's weather.


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## SNS1938 (Aug 9, 2013)

love4himies said:


> If the weather is warm during the Giro, Chris should do well as he admits he is a hot weather racer. Hopefully there won't be a repeat of last year's weather.


Who else is going to the Giro this year? Wiggans? Nibali? Quintana? Contador? I've not seen who else is targeting it this year. If wiggan's in there with a full Sky team, then he'll be pretty hard to beat. Does Lampre have a strong enough team to support CH? Evans seems to drop almost all of his BMC team mates when things get tough.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

I think Nibali, Froome, and Contador will be targeting the Tour. I think Wiggins may be support for Froome at the Tour, but I'm not sure.
Giro will be targeted by Quintana (not riding the Tour this year), Evans, Horner, and Porte. Any other big names?


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

looigi said:


> “If he rides like he did at the Vuelta, he can eat cheeseburgers every day,” he said. “The experience of Chris is huge. He’s been around 20 years. It’s difficult to change the mentality of veteran riders. If they’re used to following a program, and they’re ready to race, we’re open to it.”
> 
> I think they're missing and opportunity here. They should should hit up McDonalds for sponsorship money.


You're on to something.


But Chris is a big In-N-Out Burger fan. They should hit up them for sponsorship!


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

SNS1938 said:


> Who else is going to the Giro this year? Wiggans? Nibali? Quintana? Contador? I've not seen who else is targeting it this year. If wiggan's in there with a full Sky team, then he'll be pretty hard to beat. Does Lampre have a strong enough team to support CH? Evans seems to drop almost all of his BMC team mates when things get tough.


Wiggans will never win a giro. The Giro is too hard.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

burgrat said:


> I think Nibali, Froome, and Contador will be targeting the Tour. I think Wiggins may be support for Froome at the Tour, but I'm not sure.
> Giro will be targeted by Quintana (not riding the Tour this year), Evans, Horner, and Porte. Any other big names?


A lot of teams haven't set anything in stone (like my boys at Trek Factory Racing). But I would also expect to see Tejay and Stetina for BMC at the TdF and Cadel and Sanchez at the Giro (Sanchez could also end up at the TdF). BMC will also have the Atapuma card to play in one of the grand tours. Probably Andy Schleck at the TdF, but where he and Frank ride will be tied to how they perform early in the season. Trek now has some young guys that could go into those races as captain if the Schlecks don't look good. The team isn't built around them anymore. Uran will likely ride the Giro or TdF as captain for Omega and they will target the sprint jersey for Cav in the other. The rest will likely be the usual suspects like last year.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

also fairly certain that j rod is going to the giro, as well.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Horner in Lampre colors (heh, heh, heh):

The first official images of Chris Horner with Lampre Merida?s jersey | Team LAMPRE-MERIDA


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