Sports

Lemont Native Christian Vande Velde Named to 9th Tour de France

35-year-old cyclist among nine riders named to Garmin-Cervelo team Tuesday.

Lemont once again will be represented in the Tour de France by hometown cycling star Christian Vande Velde.

The Garmin-Cervelo team announced Tuesday its much-anticipated roster for the 2011 Tour, which will begin July 2 in Passage du Gois, France, and end July 24 in Paris. 

Vande Velde, 35, was part of Lance Armstrong's winning U.S. Postal Service team in the 1999 Tour de France. He finished fourth in 2008 and eighth in 2009.

Find out what's happening in Lemontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Last year he was forced to drop out after a stage two crash left him with two broken ribs and a lacerated left eyebrow, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Vande Velde is joined on the team by world champion Thor Hushovd, Tyler Farrar, lead-out man Julian Dean and U.S. National Time Trial champion Ryder Hesjedal.

Find out what's happening in Lemontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For more on Vande Velde, follow his Twitter account at www.twitter.com/christianvdv


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