Will do everything he can to ride the Tour
American Christian Vande Velde is set to undergo surgery in Antwerp on Tuesday following his crash in yesterday’s stage three of the Giro d’Italia. The Garmin-Transitions rider went down hard in the final 30 kilometers of the race and broke his collarbone.
Vande Velde said he “will do everything I can to be on the start line at the Tour de France” in two months time.
There is no reason to doubt the American. Last year, also in stage three of the Giro d’Italia, he crashed heavily and was forced to abandon the race. He broke five vertebrae, a rib and his pelvis, but remained focused and finished the Tour de France in eighth place.
Following the controversial move of former teammate Bradley Wiggins to Team Sky, Vande Velde is slated to be the sole leader for the team in July. Wiggins was the revelation of last year’s Tour de France, finishing in fourth place, the same spot as Vande Velde in the previous edition. For the last two years the Garmin-Transitions team has opened eyes with new general classification hopefuls and, while Vande Velde should be back on track by July, they may also look to Canadian Ryder Hesjedal and Irishman Daniel Martin to carry on the tradition.