MADRID, Spain -- At an age when most cyclists have already retired, Christopher Horner is getting the best results of his life. 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. Ray Boone Jersey .com) - The top spot in the AFC South will be on the line when Houston native Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts shoot for their fourth straight win when they take on the Texans at NRG Stadium. Rick Leach Jersey .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season. https://www.cheaptigers.com/539z-ty-cobb-jersey-tigers.html. Saltalamacchia drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, Henderson Alvarez won for the first time in three starts and the Miami Marlins beat the Braves 3-2 on Thursday night. Jim Leyland Jersey . Ronaldo failed to connect on an ample number of opportunities at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. But Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez scored in each half for Madrid to come out of the first leg with the firm advantage. Cheap Tigers Jerseys . Lineup news, Fantasy and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES St. Louis Blues – After rolling the San Jose Sharks for seven goals, for the second time in a week, the Blues have a bunch of players on hot streaks. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- There he was, Julius Peppers -- the Green Bay Packers prized off-season acquisition -- taking runs at the quarterback and dropping back in coverage in a No. 56 jersey that looked a bit snug. It was just an off-season workout in late May, but boy did the addition of the 6-foot-7 Peppers look good to coach Mike McCarthy. "Just the way he moves -- he looks awesome in 56," McCarthy said. "Were a little worried about finding a shirt to fit him." Should be able to sew something together by September. Its not often that a team gets to add a 287-pound pass rusher whose 118 1/2 sacks rank him second in the NFL since entering the league in 2002. Making Peppers move from the NFC North rival Bears even more noteworthy is that he signed with a team that typically doesnt make splash in free agency. "I was a little shocked," linebacker Clay Matthews said. "But obviously ... Im happy to have him on this side of the ball." Green Bay won a third straight NFC North title last season despite a slew of injuries. The defence missed Matthews the most after the linebacker was sidelined much of the year with a broken right thumb. The Packers defence sagged in the second half, about the same time that quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a collarbone injury. So part of coach McCarthys plan for the off-season was to look for more impact players on defence, whether through moving pieces around and developing players or adding fresh bodies from free agency and the draft. Enter Peppers, a salary cap hit by Chicago in the off-season. The eight-time Pro Bowler, 34, signed a three-year deal with Green Bay after finishing with just seven sacks in 2013, his lowest total in four seasons with Chicago and the fewest for him since he had a career-low 2 1/2 with Carolina in 2007. Linebacker A.J. Hawk didnt think Peppers lost a step after watching him fly around on a warm spring day in Green Bay. "He runs like hes 18. If theres ever a genetic freak that was put on the planet, its Julius.dddddddddddd Hes just a specimen," Hawk said. So what was it about the subpar 2013 season then? "I felt fine last year," Peppers said. "Circumstances around me and the team, you know, led to certain things. But as far as me and how my body feels, I feel great." Getting a chance to play with Matthews, who is one of the leagues most dangerous pass rushers when healthy, was part of the appeal for Peppers in picking the Packers. Matthews -- who was flexing his right hand with a black armband during practice -- said his recovery is coming along fine, and that for now he "didnt see there being any hindrance toward beginning the season, toward camp." The ideal scenario for the Packers might be Matthews and Peppers bookending the line as pass rushers, with Peppers making what he indicated would be a smooth transition to more of an outside linebacker in the Packers 3-4 set. "Theyre not asking me to do very much different except for drop back a little bit," Peppers said. "Other than that, its pretty much almost the same as playing defensive end." As a newcomer, he might benefit from McCarthys emphasis this off-season to seemingly simplifying the defence a little. The mantra seems to be "more personnel, less scheme" to make more people available and add flexibility, following the injury-riddle 2013 season. The addition of Peppers, in effect, could fit well into that philosophy given his history as a hybrid defensive end-linebacker. The Packers also transitioned Mike Neal into a similar role last season with some success. "Weve learned some hard lessons here of late, the last couple years of maybe playing some players that probably werent quite ready because of the scheme of were playing of utilizing your best players, and thats a trap you just dont want to fall into as a coach," McCarthy said. "Everybody prepares this way. Were just tilting a little more that way than we have in the past." ' ' '