Horner smacks Valverde in Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
The UCI hasn't figured a way to beat Alejandro Valverde but Chris Horner sure has. The Radio Shack rider banned Valverde from first place, beating him in the final 22 kilometer time trial by eight seconds and also wrapping up the overall title of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
Please take note, UCI president Patrick McQuaid, Horner slapped the Spaniard around pretty good. "I love this race. Every year, I want to come early to see the course," said Horner. It was Horner's first victory of the year and final confirmation that he's fully recovered from the four or five major crashes he had last season.
Euskaltel's Benat Intxausti also posted a turbo booster time and moved up to third place overall. Intxausti was inexhaustible in that crazy basque way. Nice work, orange man.
Thus Chris Horner got the thing he was lusting after: not the title, the podium girl smooches or the champagne -- no, he wanted the honorary Basque beret given to the winner of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
Bald guys likes hats -- just ask Radio Shack's Levi Leipheimer -- and now Horner has his floppy hat. It looked like some Italian Pizza master whipped up some black dough, flipped the pie in the air and had it land on Horner's head. Sassy headgear.
Chapeau, Mr. Horner, or rather Basque chapeau. A well-deserved win for an immensely talented rider who's got form coming out his ears right now.