Chris Horner wins the Vuelta amid the drama. There was another American too.

The 2013 Vuelta a Espana is history. It was history not simply as a cycling event but because Chris Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) became the first American to win the Vuelta. In addition, he became, at 41 years old, the oldest cyclist to win a Grand Tour. Horner claimed victory at the conclusion of the 21st and final stage of the race. Michael Matthews (GreenEdge) won the flat, 109.6-km run from Leganes to Madrid in 2:44:00. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) finished second, and Niklas Arndt (Argos-Shimano) took third.

Team GreenEdge's Michael Matthews sprints to victory in stage 21 of Vuelta a Espana 2013; Team RadioShack's Chris Horner wins 2013 Vuelta a Espana.

Chris Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) is poised to win the Vuelta a Espana when the race ends tomorrow in Madrid. The American distanced Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) on the Alto de L’Angliru to pad his overall lead. Ahead, Kenny Elissonde (Francaise des Jeux), the sole survivor of a daylong break, won Stage 20, a mountainous, 142.2-km ride from Aviles to Alto de L’Angliru, in 3:55:36. Horner finished second at 0:26, and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) took third at 0:54.

Chris Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) leads the Vuelta a Espana. The American took the lead by jumping away from Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) on the final climb of Stage 19, a rugged, 181-km ride from San Vicente Barquera to Oviedo. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) won the stage in 4:16:13, with Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) outsprinting Rodriguez’s teammate Daniel Moreno for second.

Vasily Kiryienka (Sky) has won Stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana. The Belorusian jumped into the break of the day and then jumped away from it, soloing home to take the rugged, 186.5-km ride from Burgos to Pena Cabarga in 4:46:48. Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff) finished second at 0:28, and Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol) took third at 1:18. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) remains the red jersey, but he had his 0:28 overnight advantage virtually wiped away on the day’s final climb.

Team Sky Pro Cycling's Vasil Kiryienka climbs to victory in stage 18 of Vuelta a Espana 2013 as Chris Horner reduces Vincenzo Nibali's overall Vuelta a Espana lead to a minimum.

Bauke Mollema (Belkin) has salvaged his Vuelta and that of his team, which before today had not won a stage and was down to four riders. The Dutchman jumped away from the lead group in the last km to win Stage 17, a rolling, 189-km ride from Calahorra to Burgos, in 4:44:28. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) finished second, and Maximiliano Richeze (Lampre-Merida) took third. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) remains the red jersey.

Team Belkin's Bauke Mollema sprints to victory in stage 17 of Vuelta a Espana 2013 as Vincenzo Nibali maintains overall La Vuelta lead for Team Astana.

Warren Barguil (Argos-Shimano) has taken his second stage of this year’s Vuelta a Espana. The French climber pipped Rigoberto Uran (Sky) in a photo-finish sprint to take Stage 16, a 147.7-km ride from Graus to Formigal, in 3:43:31. Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp-Endura) took third, and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) kept the red jersey despite losing nearly half of his overall lead to attacks from his rivals.