MADRID, Spain -- At an age when most cyclists have already retired, Christopher Horner is getting the best results of his life. Scott Hartnell Authentic Jersey . The 41-year-old American veteran completed the biggest victory of his career on Sunday, winning the Spanish Vuelta to become the oldest champion of one of cyclings three-week grand tours. "Ive been a professional for almost 20 years so this represents a lifetime of hard work," Horner said. "A grand tour is always a goal for a cyclist to show how good of a rider you are. The memories will last forever." Having effectively decided the race in the northern mountains over the last three days, Horner navigated the final flat stage without mishap to arrive in Madrid together with his RadioShack-Leopard teammates and with a safe grip on the leaders red jersey. Vincenzo Nibali of Italy and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde-- both former winners-- completed the podium. The previous oldest winner for one of the three grand tours-- the Vuelta, Tour de France and Giro dItalia-- was Fermin Lambot, who won the 1922 Tour at the age of 36. Besides being the oldest, Horner is also the first American to win the Vuelta. "Many riders winning in their 20s and early 30s have small children, but mine are at the age where they can appreciate what dad is doing," Horner said. "When I get back, it will be quite the topic at home." Horner, who will turn 42 next month, beat nearest challenger Nibali by finishing ahead of the Italian in each of the final three mountainous stages before Sundays 110-kilometre (68-mile) ride from Leganes to Madrid. Michael Matthews of Australia won the 21st and final stage in a sprint through Madrids city centre. "We only had four other teammates to help with the sprint today, but everyone did their job 100 per cent to help me get the win," Matthews said after his second stage win at this Vuelta for Orica Greenedge. This edition of the Vuelta, the 68th, had been crafted to favour strong climbers with 13 of its 21 stages set in the mountains. And Horner made the most of it, consistently pulling away with his high riding stance and a wry smile on his face while his younger rivals agonized behind him on the summit finishes. "I loved this course. When I first saw the design I knew it was perfect for me and my style of racing," Horner said. The veteran rider was not among the favourites entering the race, but he quickly joined them upon winning the third stage. That made him the oldest rider to ever win a stage at a grand tour, breaking the former record held by Pino Cerami, who won a Tour stage at 41 years, 2 months. Saturdays decisive stage saw Horner resist Nibalis repeated attacks before leaving him behind in the fog as he surged up the Alto de LAngliru peak, increasing his lead from three to 37 seconds. "Yesterday you saw how much effort Nibali put in to try to win this race," Horner said. "It was no walk in the park for me. It was probably the hardest victory Ive ever had in my career, and possibly the hardest race Ive had in my career." Horner completed the grand tour in 84 hours, 36 minutes, 4 seconds. Nibali remained 37 seconds behind, followed by Valverde 1:36 back. Horner turned professional in 1995. His previous wins included the Tour of Georgia in 2003, the Tour of the Basque Country, a northern region on Spain, in 2010, and the Tour of California in 2011. Euskaltel-Euskadi, the financially troubled Basque team that Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso is considering sponsoring, finished as the best team at the race and the only won not have a member retire. The rest of the peloton let Euskaltel-Euskadi ride in front as it entered the city. Cam Atkinson Jersey . Virtue, from London, Ont., and Moir, from Ilderton, Ont., gave Canada nine points in the multi-stage event with a score of 72.98. Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States finished first with 75. Cam Atkinson Authentic Jersey . Berdych, coming off a semifinal run at the Australian Open and Davis Cup win over the Netherlands, didnt face a break-point. A semifinalist two years ago here, he will play the winner of an all-French faceoff between Gilles Simon and Nicolas Mahut.Indianapolis, IN - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had his drivers license suspended one year for his March arrest for driving while intoxicated, the Indianapolis Star reported Thursday. According to the Star, the suspension became effective on May 27 and was confirmed by documents obtained from Hamilton County court. Indiana law requires a one-year revoke of ones drivers license for refusing to submit to a blood test while under suspicion of DWI, which Irsay did when he was stopped by police in the Inndianapolis suburb of Carmel on March 16. Brandon Dubinsky Blue Jackets Jersey. The 54-year-old was later taken into custody after failing several field sobriety tests. Irsay is awaiting a June 19 hearing on misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body. Police reports stated that multiple prescription drugs were discovered in Irsays car during an inventory search, none of which were associated with any of the prescription bottles found. ' ' '
