Becky Neal writes from California:

Every year my husband and I count the days until the Tour of California comes around again. We have seen multiple stages in years past, but this year we followed the whole race. We got to meet many of the Slipstream - Chipotle riders as they were always very friendly. They always talked with us, or waved back to us either from the team car or team bus. A big highlight for us was when I met Christian Vande Velde. Even though he was just about to start the Solvang TT, he still took the time for this picture.

We had a blast being groupies and having other groupies and TOC staff wave to us on the freeway between stages. We will never forget standing in the freezing rain somewhere between Seaside and San Luis Obispo. We were soaked through, but it was worth it when the riders went by and we got to holler encouragement to them. They were going up a hill and they still flew by supposedly going “slow”. We could see the Slipstream-Chipotle argyle in the whoosh of the peloton.

We can’t wait for the 2009 TOC, and I promise next year to get some argyle on our car.

The Capital Criterium was one of those races we all home sticks around. To wrap up the domestic season with a downtown criterium in the nation’s capital, the building itself in the background of the home stretch, is a great way to call it a year. A first year race that was run so well […]

CyclingNews reports on Christian Vande Velde’s rise to the top of the USA Cycling 2008 Pro Tour standings with his win of the overall title at the Tour of Missouri on Sunday. He finished the season with 272 points ahead of Levi Leipheimer, who has 244 points. Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O handily won the overall […]

Today’s final circuit race in downtown St. Louis - shortened from 70 to 50 miles - was more like a long, albeit careful, parade for Team Garmin-Chipotle. Riding conservatively, the team focused on Christian Vande Velde’s safe passage as race leader. Once that mission was accomplished, the Argyle Armada lined up to put Tyler […]

Watch how Christian Vande Velde won the stage 3 Branson individual time trial at the 2008 Tour of Missouri and moved in to the overall race lead.

Today’s stage 5 in the Tour of Missouri was as mellow as yesterday’s stage was crazy fast. The peloton was content to let the one significant break of the day - a 12-man group with no GC contenders - dangle off the front and scoop up the day’s intermediate sprint and KOM points.
With […]

Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O worked to fight off relentless attacks from Team Columbia today on a crazy fast stage from Lebanon to Rolla, Missouri. Race leader Christian Vande Velde (above left and below) kept the Argyle Armada moving, eventually joining a breakaway of 20 along with Tom Danielson (above right) in the final run in to […]

More than making up for his disappointing performance at the US Pro national time trial championships in August, Christian Vande Velde dug deep to win today’s severely undulating time trial course around Branson, MO. Vande Velde’s victory today put him in the yellow Missouri Tourism race leader’s jersey.
Rolling through the foothills of the Ozarks, the […]