Chris Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) has been forced to put an end to his 2013 season after fracturing some ribs in a crash during Sunday’s World championship road race. The Vuelta a España winner, who began the race as a rider tipped for a possible medal chance on the hilly course, was one of many to come down on a mass pile up on the first of the race’s ten 16.5km circuits.
The American, who will celebrate his 42nd birthday later in the month, “broke ribs on the back side of his body,” according to his team, and will not be able to participate in his originally scheduled races. In particular, Horner will miss the World Tour races of il Lombardia, in Italy, and the Tour of Beijing, in China.
"Everything went well in the last couple of months, except for the World Championships,” Horner said. “Broken ribs are really painful and I'll be off the bike for at least two or three weeks.
“It's sad that I can't finish my season on a good note in Lombardy or China."
Horner has had a very mixed season in 2013, beginning well with sixth place in Tirreno-Adriatico, but he was then forced to sit out several months after an operation to fix a knee problem. He returned in August with second place in the Tour of Utah, but then sensationally won the Vuelta a España, where he broke several records as the oldest rider ever to win a Grand Tour stage, lead a Grand Tour, and finish a Grand Tour.
He became the oldest winner of a Grand Tour since Firmin Lambot won the 1922 Tour de France at the age of 36.
Despite several of the current RadioShack-Leopard squad transferring to the new Trek Cycling Team along with Radioshack-Leopard’s WorldTour licence, Horner has yet to announce his destination for 2014. Despite his age, the veteran American has hinted that he would like to continue for at least two more years.