Christian Vande Velde

4th place at the 2008 Tour de France Overall win Tour de Luxembourg 2006 Total Victory Tour of Missouri 2008 Stage win Giro d' Italia ( MZF ) 2008 Stage win Tour de France ( MZF ) 2011

Christian Vande Velde ( May 22nd, 1976 in Lemont, Illinois ) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist.

Career

Christian Vande Velde has been a professional since 1998. In both 1999 and 2001, he helped as part of the U.S. Postal team, Lance Armstrong to two of his seven Tour de France victories, in the time he won his first stage race in 1999, the Redlands Bicycle Classics. In the years 2003-2007 he supported as a precious bear its respective team captains, such as Carlos Sastre at Team CSC. The only significant success during this time was winning the Tour de Luxembourg 2006.

Since 2008 Vande Velde riding for Team Garmin - Cervélo (originally under the name of Garmin - Slipstream, in the meantime under the name Garmin -Transitions). There, he won the first major tour of the team, the Giro d' Italia in 2008, the Maglia Rosa after the team had the first stage, a team time trial won. Also in the Tour de France in the same year he did a great job and was fourth in the overall standings. He finished his strong year by winning the Tour of Missouri, it was the most successful year of his career. In 2009 he finished the Tour de France on a remarkable 8th place, despite helper services for his captain Bradley Wiggins. The year 2010 was for Vande Velde more than unfortunate, since he had to retire early each with serious fall injury both the Giro and the Tour, which he in the meantime wanted to end his career. The same ( camber ) fate befell him at the Giro 2009.

In the 2011 season Vande Velde started with the Tour of Oman, which he finished in 5th place in the overall standings. Rather than as in previous years the Giro, he went in May the Tour of California with his team -mate Tom Danielson as a double peak in the major U.S. road race. In the overall standings Vande Velde finished fourth, behind the RadioShack duo Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer and Danielson. In preparation for his highlight of the season, the Tour de France of Americans rode the Tour de Suisse. The Tour of Switzerland, he went relatively inconspicuous, drove only two stages in the top 10 of the daily standings, where he finished fourth in the heavy mountain-top finish on the 7th stage, just 15 seconds behind Andy Schleck. As in previous years Vande Velde as the nominal captain went into the Great Loop, but crashed several times in the first race weekend and lost so already almost two minutes to other team captains and favorites in the overall standings as Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck. After he came almost 10 minutes after the favorite group on the first stage in the Pyrenees to the finish had Vande Velde give up early all hopes of a place in the targeted top 10. In the rest of the tour Vande Velde supported his teammate Tom Danielson in the difficult mountain stages. At the end of the tour, he finished 17th overall.

After the tour, Vande Velde put on a short break from racing back and drove in preparation for the final highlight of the season, the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge, the Tour of Utah. The small tour in the Mormon state, which, however, was of the highest caliber with Levi Leipheimer, Janez Brajkovic and Tom Danielson, he finished in 6th place overall. In the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Vande Velde started strong and had only beaten Patrick Gretsch in the prologue. At the second stage, he came with a few seconds residue behind Levi Leipheimer finish and claimed his second overall. At the third stage, the queen stage, he was allowed to settle on the last climb with Tejay Van Garderen and Leipheimer. However, they were caught up from the field and Vande Velde lost in the downhill contact with some other favorites such as Van Garderen and his teammates Danielson and fell back in the overall standings. With a strong mountain time trial on stage four, where he was on Leipheimer second with less than one second behind, he pushed back against ranked second overall. Rate this place he was able to defend to the last three, rather flat stages.

On October 10, 2012 Vande Velde has been banned for doping by the USADA.

End of the 2013 season ended Vande Velde his career as a professional cyclist.

Christian Vande Velde's father, John, took part in the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Radwettbewerben and was later a member of the Track Cycling Commission of the UCI.

Team

Achievements

1999

  • Appreciation Redlands Bicycle Classics

2002

  • A stage Tour of Catalonia ( team time trial )

2005

  • Winner mountains classification Eneco Tour

2006

  • Winner Tour de Luxembourg

2008

  • 3rd Tour of California
  • A stage of Circuit de la Sarthe
  • A stage of the Tour de Georgia ( team time trial )
  • Winner in the opening team time trial of the Giro d' Italia; Carrier of the pink jersey for a day
  • 4th place Tour de France
  • A stage and General Classification Tour of Missouri

2009

  • A stage of Paris-Nice

2011

  • Team time trial Tour de France

2012

  • Team time trial Giro d' Italia
  • Team time trial Tour of Utah
  • Appreciation USA Pro Cycling Challenge
2011 Tour de France General classification in the Giro d'Italia Volta a Catalunya 2008 Tour of California
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