Chris Horner sealed the overall win in the 2011 Amgen Tour of California on Sunday after his Radioshack squad dominated the mountains stages.
Thirty-nine-year-old Horner finished the race 38 seconds ahead of Radioshack team-mate Levi Leipheimer overall, with Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) rounding out the podium in third.
Horner put himself in the race lead at the end of Wednesday's stage four on Sierra Road. After a solid ride in the individual time trial, he then rode strongly up Mount Baldy with Leipheimer on Saturday to further distance his rivals.
Australian Matt Goss (HTC-Highroad) won the final bunch sprint in the circuit-based finale in Thousand Oaks, out-pacing second-placed stage five winner Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and stage three winner Greg Henderson (Sky) in third.
Sagan won the points classification, with Britain's Ben Swift (Sky) in third after his stage two win. Jonathan Patrick McCarty (Spidertech) claimed the mountains jersey. Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad) was best young rider after finishing fifth overall.
Top-placed British rider overall was Charly Wegelius (Unitedhealthcare) in 45th spot, 27-20 behind Horner.
Results
Tour of California 2011 stage eight: Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks, 132.4km
1. Matthew Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad in 2-56-39
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
3. Greg Henderson (NZ) Sky
4. Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
5. Kevin Lacombe (Can) Spidertech
6. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing
7. Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team Type 1
8. Ken Hanson (USA) Jelly Belly
9. Anibal Andres (Arg) Jamis-Sutter Home
10. Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Saxo Bank-Sungard all same time
Final overall classification
1. Christopher Horner (USA) Radioshack in 23-46-41
2. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Radioshack at 38 secs
3. Thomas Danielson (USA) Garmin-Cervelo at 2-45
4. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin-Cervelo at 3-18
5. Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad at 3-23
6. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank at 3-26
7. Rory Sutherland (Aus) UnitedHealthcare at 4-12
8. Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard-Trek at 4-33
9. Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing at 4-50
10. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Cervelo at 6-16
Other
45. Charly Wegelius (GB) Unitedhealthcare at 27-20
54. Ian Stannard (GB) Sky at 33-32
66. Chris Froome (GB) Sky at 40-46
69. Ben Swift (GB) Sky at 41-32
Matt Goss claims the final stage of the race
Chris Horner celebrates the overall win, with Levi Leipheimer (left, second) and Tom Danielson (right, third)
Tour of California 2011: Related links
Stage seven: Leipheimer wins stage as Horner moves closer to overall victory
Stage six: Zabriskie wins TT as Radioshack tighten grip
Stage five: Sagan wins as Dowsett crashes out
Stage four: Horner takes control
Stage three: Henderson makes it two for Sky in California
Stage two: Swift wins and takes lead
Snow forces Tour of California opening stage cancellation
Tour of California to be shown on ITV4
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
Lionel Messi could be launching a custom bike priced over €10,000 in 2025
'It's actually happening' - Matthew Richardson set for GB debut after nationality swap
