Christian Vandevelde
Encyclopedia
Christian Vande Velde is an American professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for . The son of United States Bicycling Hall of Fame
inductee John Vande Velde, Christian became professional in 1998 for US Postal.
He twice rode on the Tour de France
team that brought Lance Armstrong
to victory, in 1999 and 2001. In the 1999 Tour de France
Vande Velde was for a time the leader of the youth classification; he did not complete the 2001 Tour de France
. Christian Vande Velde moved to Liberty Seguros in 2004 and switched to in 2005. During this time, he worked as a domestique
, riding in support of varying team captains, even though the 2005 season saw Vande Velde taking chances of his own including a breakaway on 4th stage of the Eneco Tour of Benelux
, which was eventually hampered when the peloton was led on a false route, meaning the riders of the breakaway had to wait for the peloton to get back on track, at which time the gap between the break and the peloton was reduced from six to four minutes with 43 kilometres to go.
In the 2006 Tour de France, he was a domestique on Team CSC for team captains Carlos Sastre
and Fränk Schleck
. Vande Velde was the best of the climbers in the team apart from Sastre and Schleck, whom he supported in the high mountain stages. On stage 16, he pulled for most of the early slopes of the Col de La Croix de Fer, after team-mates Sastre and Schleck attacked to put then race leader Floyd Landis
under pressure. On stage 17 to Morzine
, he again pulled for most of the day along with team-mate Jens Voigt
and Matthias Kessler
and Serhiy Honchar
from T-Mobile.
With the team time trial
win by in Stage 1 of the 2008 Giro d'Italia
, Vande Velde became the first American to wear the Maglia rosa
since Andy Hampsten in 1988. Vande Velde finished the 2008 Tour de France
in fourth place, 3'05" behind the winner Carlos Sastre
and 17th in the Olympic road race in Beijing. In 2009 Vande Velde finished 8th in the overall standings for the Tour de France.
He and his wife Leah are the parents of Uma (3 years-old) and Madeline, born in February, 2009.
Vande Velde crashed out of the 2010 Giro d'Italia on the third stage with a suspected clavicle break. Coincidentally, in 2009 he was forced out of the Giro after a crash, also on stage 3.
Vande Velde withdrew from the 2010 Tour de France upon completing the second stage on Monday, July 5, 2010, with two broken ribs. The injury was suffered in a crash caused by oil spilled from a fallen motorcycle that had been carrying a television camera operator filming on the Stockeu pass descent.
2001
2002
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2011
WD = withdrew
United States Bicycling Hall of Fame
The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling.-Location:...
inductee John Vande Velde, Christian became professional in 1998 for US Postal.
He twice rode on the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
team that brought Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
to victory, in 1999 and 2001. In the 1999 Tour de France
1999 Tour de France
The 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 1999. It was won by Lance Armstrong, his first of 7 consecutive wins, the most in Tour history. There were no French stage winners for the first time since the 1926 Tour de France.The 1999 edition of Tour de...
Vande Velde was for a time the leader of the youth classification; he did not complete the 2001 Tour de France
2001 Tour de France
The 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were...
. Christian Vande Velde moved to Liberty Seguros in 2004 and switched to in 2005. During this time, he worked as a domestique
Cycling domestique
A domestique is a road bicycle racer who works for the benefit of his team and leader. The French domestique translates as "servant". In Italy and Spain, the term gregario is used, while in Belgium and the Netherlands the term knecht or helper are used...
, riding in support of varying team captains, even though the 2005 season saw Vande Velde taking chances of his own including a breakaway on 4th stage of the Eneco Tour of Benelux
Eneco Tour of Benelux
The Eneco Tour of Benelux is a road bicycle racing stage-race. Its name refers to its main sponsor, the energy company Eneco Energie. It is part of both the UCI ProTour and the UCI World Ranking calendar.-History:...
, which was eventually hampered when the peloton was led on a false route, meaning the riders of the breakaway had to wait for the peloton to get back on track, at which time the gap between the break and the peloton was reduced from six to four minutes with 43 kilometres to go.
In the 2006 Tour de France, he was a domestique on Team CSC for team captains Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team...
and Fränk Schleck
Fränk Schleck
Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . At the start of 2005, Schleck was joined by his younger brother Andy on , and they split the 2005 national championships between them, with Fränk winning the road race and Andy winning the time trial...
. Vande Velde was the best of the climbers in the team apart from Sastre and Schleck, whom he supported in the high mountain stages. On stage 16, he pulled for most of the early slopes of the Col de La Croix de Fer, after team-mates Sastre and Schleck attacked to put then race leader Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis is an American retired cyclist who after initially being awarded victory in the 2006 Tour de France was stripped of his title for a doping offense. He was an all-around rider, with special skills in climbing and time-trialing, and is also known to be a very fast descender.Landis...
under pressure. On stage 17 to Morzine
Morzine
Morzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune...
, he again pulled for most of the day along with team-mate Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Voigt is known for his propensity to attack, and for his positive racing attitude. He is capable of repeated attacking, holding a high tempo, and breaking away from the peloton...
and Matthias Kessler
Matthias Kessler
Matthias Kessler , is a German professional road racing cyclist who rode for .Kessler debuted as a pro during the 2000 season after becoming German under 23 champion in 1999, a year in which he also took the bronze medal in the under 23 cycling world championships...
and Serhiy Honchar
Serhiy Honchar
Serhiy Honchar is a Ukrainian former professional road racing cyclist. He is a former world time trial champion. In the 2006 Tour de France, Honchar lead the general classification after a time-trial win in stage 7....
from T-Mobile.
With the team time trial
Team time trial
A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...
win by in Stage 1 of the 2008 Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
, Vande Velde became the first American to wear the Maglia rosa
Maglia rosa
The pink jersey is awarded to the leader of the General Classification at the Giro d'Italia. The leader of the GC is the rider who has the fastest time when all the stage results are added together, taking into account time bonuses for high finishes and intermediate sprints...
since Andy Hampsten in 1988. Vande Velde finished the 2008 Tour de France
2008 Tour de France
The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage...
in fourth place, 3'05" behind the winner Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team...
and 17th in the Olympic road race in Beijing. In 2009 Vande Velde finished 8th in the overall standings for the Tour de France.
He and his wife Leah are the parents of Uma (3 years-old) and Madeline, born in February, 2009.
Vande Velde crashed out of the 2010 Giro d'Italia on the third stage with a suspected clavicle break. Coincidentally, in 2009 he was forced out of the Giro after a crash, also on stage 3.
Vande Velde withdrew from the 2010 Tour de France upon completing the second stage on Monday, July 5, 2010, with two broken ribs. The injury was suffered in a crash caused by oil spilled from a fallen motorcycle that had been carrying a television camera operator filming on the Stockeu pass descent.
Results
1999- 1st
Overall Redlands Bicycle ClassicRedlands Bicycle ClassicThe Redlands Bicycle Classic is a cycling stage race located in Redlands, California, USA that has been held since 1985. It consists of two road races, a Individual Time Trial and a Criterium.... - 1st Individual PursuitIndividual pursuitThe individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the...
UCI World Cup - 3rd Overall Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
- 1st
Best young rider classification
- 1st
- Held Best young riders jersey from Stages 2-7 Tour De FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
2001
- 4th Overall Three Days of De PanneThree Days of De PanneThe Three Days of De Panne is a mid-week, three-day stage race before the Ronde van Vlaanderen in De Panne in West Flanders, Belgium. It is rated 2.HC by the UCI and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :...
- 5th Overall Volta a la Comunitat ValencianaVolta a la Comunitat ValencianaThe Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community , Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often used as preparation for the spring classics or the grand tours which take place later in the season.No editions of the race have been...
2002
- 1st Stage 1 TTTTeam time trialA team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...
Volta a Catalunya
2005
- 1st
Mountains classification Eneco Tour of BeneluxEneco Tour of BeneluxThe Eneco Tour of Benelux is a road bicycle racing stage-race. Its name refers to its main sponsor, the energy company Eneco Energie. It is part of both the UCI ProTour and the UCI World Ranking calendar.-History:...
2006
- 1st Overall Tour de LuxembourgTour de LuxembourgTour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
- 2nd Overall Tour of Elk Grove
- 3rd Stage 14 Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
- 9th Overall Tour of CaliforniaTour of California 2006The 2006 Tour of California was the inaugural edition of a professional cycling stage race that made its debut on February 19, 2006. Sponsored by the biotechnology company Amgen, the eight-day, 700 mile race started in San Francisco, winding its way down the California coast to finish in Redondo...
2007
- 1st Eindhoven Team Time TrialEindhoven Team Time TrialThe UCI ProTour Eindhoven Team Time Trial was an annual road bicycle race held in Eindhoven, Netherlands. It was approximately . Each team had six riders. In 2006, team size expanded to eight....
- 2nd Overall Tour de Georgia2007 Tour de GeorgiaThe 2007 Tour de Georgia was a seven-stage professional bicycle race held from April 16 through April 22, 2007 across the state of Georgia and into Tennessee. The race was part of the 2007 USA Cycling Pro Tour...
- 6th Overall Tour of California
2008
- Champion 2008 USA Cycling Professional Tour2008 USA Cycling Professional TourThe 2008 USA Cycling Professional Tour is the second year of this elite men's professional road bicycle racing series organized by USA Cycling....
- 1st Stage 1 TTT Giro d'Italia2008 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team...
- Held Maglia rosa
from Stages 1-2
- Held Maglia rosa
- 1st Overall Tour of Missouri2008 Tour of MissouriThe 2008 Tour of Missouri is the second annual edition of a professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Missouri. It began on September 8, 2008 with seven days of racing. Run by same organizers as the Tour de Georgia and the Amgen Tour of California, the Tour of Missouri is being billed as...
- 1st Stage 3 ITT
- 2nd Overall, Circuit de la SartheCircuit de la Sarthe (cycling)The Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire is an early-season short road bicycle racing stage race held annually in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....
- 1st Stage 2b
- 3rd Overall Tour of California2008 Tour of CaliforniaThe 2008 Tour of California was the third edition of an eight-day, 650-mile stage race, which began in Palo Alto , then raced through the California redwoods, wine country and the Pacific Coast and finished in Pasadena. The road bicycle racing event was held February 17–24...
- 4th Overall Tour de France2008 Tour de FranceThe 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage...
- 7th Overall Tour de GeorgiaTour de GeorgiaThe Tour de Georgia is a U.S. professional cycling stage race across the state of Georgia. The race began in 2003 and has been contested six times. It is one of the three events in North America ranked as Hors Classe stage race events by the UCI, which is cycling's international governing body,...
- 1st Stage 4 TTT
2009
- 1st Stage 4 Paris–Nice
- 8th Overall Tour de France2009 Tour de FranceThe 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco...
- Most Aggressive Rider
Stage 7 Tour of California2009 Tour of CaliforniaThe 2009 Amgen Tour of California was the 4th running of an annual cycling race contained within the state of California. The event was staged February 14–22 and began with a prologue in the state capital of Sacramento. The event was held as part of the schedule of both the UCI America Tour and USA...
2011
- 1st Stage 2 (TTTTeam time trialA team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...
) Tour de France2011 Tour de France-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in... - 2nd Overall 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge2011 USA Pro Cycling ChallengeThe 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge was the inaugural running of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage race. It was held from August 22–28, and was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI America Tour...
- 4th Overall Tour of California2011 Tour of CaliforniaThe 2011 Amgen Tour of California was the sixth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 15–22, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. Originally scheduled for eight stages, the race was due to begin in South Lake Tahoe, but snow around the Lake...
Grand Tour General Classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar... |
114 2005 Giro d'Italia The 2005 Giro d'Italia, the 88th running of the race, was held from 7 May to 29 May 2005, consisting of 21 stages for a total of 3,417 km, ridden at an average speed of 37,375 km/h... |
52 2008 Giro d'Italia The 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team... |
WD 2009 Giro d'Italia The 2009 Giro d'Italia was the 92nd running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It was held from 9 to 31 May 2009, and marked the 100th year since the first edition of the race... |
WD 2010 Giro d'Italia The 2010 Giro d'Italia was the 93rd edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Amsterdam on 8 May and stayed in the Netherlands for three stages, before leaving the country... |
|||||||||
| Tour Tour de France The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... |
85 1999 Tour de France The 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 1999. It was won by Lance Armstrong, his first of 7 consecutive wins, the most in Tour history. There were no French stage winners for the first time since the 1926 Tour de France.The 1999 edition of Tour de... |
WD 2001 Tour de France The 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were... |
56 2004 Tour de France The 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and... |
24 2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis.... |
25 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
5 2008 Tour de France The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage... |
8 2009 Tour de France The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco... |
WD 2010 Tour de France The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996... |
|||||
| Vuelta Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages... |
90 1998 Vuelta a España The 53rd edition of the Vuelta a España was held 5 to 27 September 1998 and began in Córdoba and ended in Madrid. The 1998 Vuelta had 22 stages over 3,774 km with the winning average speed of 40.262 km/h.... |
25 2002 Vuelta a España The 57th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 7 to September 29, 2002... |
31 | 39 2007 Vuelta a España The 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage... |
58 2010 Vuelta a España The 2010 Vuelta a España was held from August 28 to September 19 and was won by Vincenzo Nibali. The race began in Seville and ended, as is tradition, in Madrid.The race covered... |
WD = withdrew