Rider agent Baden Cooke is confident his client Chris Horner will secure a deal for 2015 despite not starting the Vuelta a Espana.

The 42-year-old American found a ride at Lampre late in the day last season and will hope to avoid any uncertainty this year.

“We weren’t really worried about getting a contract all year and Chris was asking me to actually hold off on talks because he was so confident of getting a result at the Vuelta,” Cooke told Cycling Weekly. “We’ve been holding off on going deep into talks for that reason."

“Chris is very happy where he is now at Lampre. All year they’ve been giving indications that they want to keep him on board. He doesn’t want to retire and he shouldn’t,” he continued.

“I think he would have been easily in the top five at the Vuelta this month if he had of been there. It’s pretty well documented what happened to him as part of the MPCC. They’ve got more rigorous controls than normal. If he had of been riding for another team he would be riding the Vuelta right now."

“That’s their choice. I think it’s strange – it should be all or no one – but anyway.”

When Cooke helped him secure a deal at Lampre, Cooke was not even a licensed agent and represented Horner for free. He did the same with fellow Australian Matt Lloyd (Jelly Belly).

“I was team-mates with him in 2000 and 2001 with Mercury in the States so I’ve known him very well for the best part of 15 years. I’d just seen him in the Vuelta [that Cooke started] so I was honoured to have such a big first client.”

Horner is not without results this year, finishing second in the Tour of Utah and was in the top 20 in the Tour de France despite having just returned from a potentially life threatening injury.