Christian Vande Velde ready for next season
Christian Vande Velde, Garmin-Transitions' veteran rider, has said he is feeling recharged after recovering from the injuries he sustained at this year's Tour de France.
Vande Velde withdrew from this year's Tour after only the second stage, having broken two ribs in a crash caused by oil spilled from the motorcycle of a camera operator following the race.
The American told Cyclingnews that the injuries made him "apprehensive" about starting in the Vuelta a Espana in August.
“To be honest, I didn’t know if the move was good or bad. It turned out to be great and I’m happy that I went. My form was getting better and I was able to help out my teammates," said the 34-year-old, who finished 59th in the race's general classification
after a solid team performance by Garmin-Transitions. "We had two stages wins, a bunch of near misses and Tom [Danielson] got top ten overall. It was a big success for me and the team."
Looks ahead after promising Vuelta bid
Despite not having recovered fully from the rib injuries he sustained in the Tour, Vande Velde said the Vuelta presented him with a perfect opportunity to regain composure on his bike.
"I just enjoyed it. Whatever the day threw at me, I raced as hard as I could. The first couple of days just finishing meant racing as hard as I could. At the end of the race, I was able to sacrifice whatever I had for the team."
Having made a satisfactory conclusion to his 2010 season, the Giro d'Italia stage winner said he is looking forward to next year, when a few domestic competitions and the Tour—but not the Giro—will form the top priorities.
"The Tour will still be the main focal point but I want to be around here in the US too. I’m looking forward to the team time trial, especially with the team we’re going to have, going back to the Alpe d’Huez and then the Passage du Gois. It’ll be crazy.
I’m not taking anything away from the Giro but we just don’t get on. It started out really, really well but apart from that we don’t see eye to eye."
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