
Who is this Christian Vande Velde?
by
Gene Bisbee
on Sun 11 May 2008 04:00 AM PDT
I love it when the unsung, work-a-day athlete suddenly scores it big in any sport. That happened Saturday when Christian Vande Velde earned the maglia rosa at the 2008 Giro d'Italia.
Ever since I started this bicycling blog in 2005, the name Christian Vande Velde has come up repeatedly among US cyclists competing in elite competitions in Europe and the US.
But he never made the headlines. Ever since turning pro in 1998, the native of Lemont, Illinois, has been the guy delivering water bottles to Lance Armstrong, or helping pace Carlos Sastre or Frank Schleck over mountain passes.
Now, at 31, he ends up leading the surviving five cyclists in the Slipstream-Chipotle pack in the team time trial at the Giro d'Italia and wins the race. What's more, it's the first stage, so he earns the maglia rosa, the pink jersey. Further, he becomes the only US cyclist since Andy Hampsten in 1988 to do so. ... more »