Christian Vande Velde facts for kids
Christian Vande Velde (born May 22, 1976) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. He rode professionally from 1998 to 2013. Vande Velde competed for teams like US Postal Service, CSC, and Garmin-Sharp. After retiring from racing, he became a cycling analyst for NBC Sports in 2014. Christian is also the son of cyclist John Vande Velde.
Vande Velde at the 2011 Tour de France
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Vande Velde | ||
| Nickname | VDV, CVV | ||
| Born | May 22, 1976 Lemont, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 69 kg (152 lb; 10.9 st) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Contents
Christian Vande Velde's Cycling Journey
Early Career and Support Roles (1998–2006)
Vande Velde began his Grand Tour career in the 1998 Vuelta a España. He helped his teammate Lance Armstrong achieve a fourth-place finish. Christian also rode in the Tour de France teams that won in 1999 and 2001. In the 1999 Tour, he even led the young rider classification for a while.
In 2004, Vande Velde joined the CSC team in 2005. During these years, he often worked as a domestique. This means he rode to support his team captains. However, in 2005, he also took some chances for himself. For example, he was part of a breakaway group in the Eneco Tour.
In 2006, Vande Velde showed strong skills in the mountains at the Tour de Luxembourg. This helped him win the overall race. In the 2006 Tour de France, he continued to support his teammates, Carlos Sastre and Fränk Schleck. He was one of the best climbers on the team, helping them in tough mountain stages.
Big Races and Challenges (2007–2011)
In 2008, Vande Velde made history. His team won the team time trial at the Giro d'Italia. This made him the first American to wear the pink jersey, which is given to the leader of the race. He finished fourth in the 2008 Tour de France. He also won the 2008 Tour of Missouri.
Christian faced some tough luck with crashes. He had to leave the Giro d'Italia early in both 2009 and 2010 due to crashes. In 2010, he also had to withdraw from the Tour de France because of broken ribs. This crash happened due to oil on the road from a fallen motorcycle.
In the 2011 Tour de France, Vande Velde helped his teammate Tom Danielson finish in the top ten. His team also won the team classification. Later that year, he finished a close second in the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
Final Years and Retirement (2012–2013)
In the 2012 Giro d'Italia, Vande Velde played a key role in his leader Ryder Hesjedal's victory. He protected Hesjedal in the mountain stages. Christian finished second in a stage of the 2012 Tour de France. Many fans considered him a very popular rider.
Vande Velde had an amazing performance in the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. He won the overall title after a strong individual time trial on the last day. This allowed him to take the leader's jersey.
In 2013, Vande Velde had more crashes and injuries. He broke a bone in his hand early in the season. He tried to help Ryder Hesjedal win the Giro d'Italia again, but Hesjedal had to leave the race. Christian also withdrew from the 2013 Tour de France due to injuries. He then tried to defend his USA Pro Cycling Challenge title but finished twenty-second.
Christian Vande Velde officially retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2013 UCI World Team Time Trial Championships.
Past Choices and Consequences
In 2012, Christian Vande Velde admitted to making some wrong choices in his past regarding rules in cycling. He accepted a period away from racing and had some of his past race results from 2004 to 2006 removed. He later shared that he regretted his decision to "cross the line."
Life Outside Cycling
Christian Vande Velde lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with his wife Leah and their two daughters. He went to Lemont High School.
Career Highlights
Major Race Results
- 1999
- 1st Overall
Redlands Bicycle Classic - 3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
- 1st
Young rider classification
- 1st
- 2000
- 9th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
- 2001
- 4th Overall Three Days of De Panne
- 5th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 2002
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT) Volta a Catalunya
- 2004
- 2005
1st
Mountains classification Eneco Tour
- 2006
- 1st Overall Tour de Luxembourg
- 2nd Overall Tour of Elk Grove
- 9th Overall Tour of California
- 2007
- 1st Eindhoven Team Time Trial
- 2nd Overall Tour de Georgia
- 6th Overall Tour of California
- 2008
- 1st USA Cycling Professional Tour
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT)
- Held
after Stage 1
- 1st Overall Tour of Missouri
- 1st Stage 3 (TTT)
- 2nd Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
- 1st Stage 2
- 2nd Overall Tour of the Bahamas
- 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 3rd Overall Tour of California
- 4th Overall Tour de France
- 7th Overall Tour de Georgia
- 1st Stage 4 (TTT)
- 10th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
- 2009
- 1st Stage 4 Paris–Nice
- 7th Overall Tour de France
- 2011
- 1st Stage 2 (TTT) Tour de France
- 2nd Overall USA Pro Cycling Challenge
- 4th Overall Tour of California
- 5th Overall Tour of Oman
- 6th Overall Tour of Utah
- 2012
- 1st Overall USA Pro Cycling Challenge
- 1st Stage 4 (TTT) Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 2 (TTT) Tour of Utah
Grand Tour Performance Timeline
| Grand Tour | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro d'Italia |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 52 | DNF | DNF | — | 22 | 110 | |
| Tour de France |
— | 85 | — | DNF | — | — | — | 22 | 24 | 4 | 7 | DNF | 16 | 60 | DNF | |
| Vuelta a España |
90 | — | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | 39 | — | — | 58 | — | — | — |
Did not finish = DNF; Voided results = struck through.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Vande Velde para niños
