Christian Vande Velde

As the son of a US Bicycle Hall of Famer, Christian Vande Velde had little else on his mind besides cycling as a child. He dreamt of competing in the Tour de France and one day winning the yellow jersey. Vande Velde got off to a good start, becoming part of Lance Armstrong’s team that helped him win 1999 and 2001 Tour de Frances. Known for his incredible ability in the mountain stages, Vande Velde was a key asset to many different teams throughout his 15 year cycling career. As an individual, Vande Velde won numerous major events, including the 2012 US Cycling Challenge in one of the finals years of his career. Despite tremendous success as a cyclist and being an overwhelmingly fan favorite, Vande Velde never won the yellow jersey, with his best finish on the Tour de France coming in 2008 with a fourth place finish overall. Post-cycling career, Vande Velde was brought back into the lime light as he was asked to be a witness in the trial against Lance Armstrong for his involvement in a doping scandal that took place when Vande Velde rode alongside Armstrong for Team U.S. Postal Service.