Who s Who - Americans in the 2009 Tour de France Following is a look at the American athletes contesting the 2009 Tour de France, specifically outlining their start in the sport. Lance Armstrong Arguably the best cyclist in history, Armstrong is returning to the Tour de France in search of his eighth yellow jersey. Austin, Texas Sept. 18, 1971 Astana Lance Armstrong raced for the USA Cycling National Team program from 1989 1992 along with fellow American George Hincapie Armstrong met his current coach, Chris Carmichael, when Carmichael directed USA Cycling s National Team Program in the early 1990s In the 1989 International Cycling Union (UCI) Junior World Championships in Moscow, Armstrong attempted an early race solo attack, and although he lost the event, he showed a glimpse of future tenacity In 1992 Armstrong represented the USA Cycling National Team as an amateur at the Tour du Pont Armstrong s biggest victory in a USA Cycling U23 (Under 23) National Team jersey was an overall stage race win at Settimana Bergamasca In his first professional race, the San Sebastian World Cup in Spain, Armstrong finished dead last In 1994, he started the Lance Armstrong Junior Race Series (LAJRS), writing USA Cycling a check for $5,000. With the goal of increasing the quantity and quality of road racing opportunities for young American cyclists, the LAJRS also aims to identify and recognize potential worldclass cycling talent at the junior level. Seven consecutive Tour de France wins (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
Tyler Farrar The next great athlete in the USA cycling pipeline, the wellknown sprinter may also show his strength in the prologue and short-distance time trials. Wenatchee, Wash. June 2, 1984 Garmin-Slipstream Tyler Farrar first raced with the USA Cycling Junior National Team in 2001 He subsequently spent three years (2003-2005) in USA Cycling s U23 National Development Team program, racing throughout Europe and living in the team s house in Izegem, Belgium His biggest win as a U23 came in the form of a stage victory at the Tour L Avenir 2009 Tirreno-Adriatico - 1st in stage 3 (won field sprint) 2008 Paris-Tours, 5 th (won field sprint) 2008 Tour de Poitou-Charentes, 1st in stage 1 2008 Tour de Georgia, 2nd sprint overall, 1st in the stage 4 team time trial 2008 Tour of California, 3rd prologue, held leader s jersey for one stage; 1st team overall 2008 Tour of Bahamas, 1st overall, 1st road, 1st circuit, 3rd Individual Time Trial (ITT) 2008 Zwevezele kermesse, 1st 2008 Circuit Franco-Belge, 2nd in stages 1 and 2 2005 USPRO National Criterium Championships, 1st Multiple US Junior National Championships
George Hincapie The only man to ride all seven Tour de France victories with Lance Armstrong is returning to the Tour de France for the 14 th time. Greenville, S.C. June 23, 1973 Columbia Highroad George Hincapie began riding with the Junior National Team in 1989 before winning two Junior World Championship medals in 1991 (silver in team time trial and bronze in the Individual pursuit) Known as the world s top domestique, Hincapie got his start riding with Lance Armstrong on the USA Cycling National Team in the early 1990s 2008 Tour of California, stage win 2008 Dauphine, stage win 2006 and 1998 USPRO Road Race Championship, 1 st overall 2005 Paris Roubaix, 2 nd overall 2005 Tour de France, 1 st in stage 15 2005 Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, 1 st overall 2005 Dauphine Libee, 1 st in stages 1 and 7 2005 Grand Prix Ouest-France, 1 st overall 2004 Three Days of DePanne, 1 st overall 2001 Ghent-Wevelgem (Belgium), 1 st overall 2001 San Francisco Grand Prix (San Francisco, Calif.), 1st 2001 Paris Roubaix, 4th 1998 US National Champion
Levi Leipheimer A true leader and teammate, Leipheimer helped Contador to victory at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, Paris-Nice and Tour de France. Santa Rosa, Calif. Oct. 24, 1973 Astana 2002, 2004 and 2005: Placed in the top ten Tours de France overall 2007: First Tour stage win Danny Pate A former U23 UCI Time Trial world champion, Pate has developed into an all-around road racer in his professional years. Colorado Springs, Colo. March 24, 1979 Garmin-Slipstream Danny Pate lived and trained in Europe with the USA Cycling National Development Team in both 1999 and 2001 In 2000, he signed with an Italian professional team, but returned to the USA Cycling National Development Team program in 2001 to take the most impressive victory of his career, a world title in the U23 time trial Aside from his world title, his most outstanding result as a U23 came in the form of an overall win at Triptyque Ardennais, an infamous Belgian stage race 2009 Critérium International 3 rd overall 2008 Giro d Italia, 1 st in the stage 1 team time trial, 6 th in stage 21 ITT 2008 Tour de Georgia, 1 st in the stage 4 team time trial 2008 Tour of California, 1 st team overall 2002 International Tour de Toona, 1 st overall 2001 Triptyque Ardennais, 1 st overall 2001 U23 World Championship, 1 st in the time trial International Thuringen Rundfahrt, 1 st in stage 3 Four Bridges of Elgin, 1 st overall International Thuringen Rundfahrt, 1 st in the prologue
Christian Vande Velde One of only two Americans in history to wear the white Best Young Rider jersey in the Tour de France, Vande Velde joins Hincapie as a solid domestique in the European peloton. Lemont, Ill. May 22, 1976 Garmin-Slipstream Focusing on the track in the early stages of his career, Christian Vande Velde lived and trained as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center from 1995-1997 The son of two-time Olympian John Vande Velde, he was a member of the gold medal team pursuit squad at the Pan American Games in 1995 2008 Paris-Nice, 1 st in stage 4 2008 Giro d Italia, 1st in the stage 1 team time trial, wore maglia rosa; 5th in stage 21 ITT 2008 Tour de France, 5th overall, 4th in stage 20 ITT, 6th in stage 4 ITT 2008 Tour of Missouri, 1st overall, 1st in the stage 3 individual time trial 2008 Tour of California, 3rd overall, 1st team overall 2008 Tour de Georgia, 1st in the stage 4 team time trial 2006 Tour de Luxembourg, 1st overall 2005 Eneco Tour of Benelux, 1st mountains classification 1999 Redlands Classic, 1st overall 1999 Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, 1st, young rider classification 1999 Tour de France, held Best Young Rider s Jersey 1999 UCI World Cup, 1 st in individual pursuit Twice rode on Tour de France teams that brought Lance Armstrong to victory, place As a junior, won the USA Cycling Elite Points Race national title on the track
David Zabriskie The only American to win a stage in each of cycling s three grand tours, the time trial specialist will again be a favorite in the race against the clock. Salt Lake City, Utah Jan. 12, 1979 Garmin-Slipstream One of the first success stories of the USA Cycling National Development Team s current structure, Dave Z. raced with the Belgian-based program in 1999 and 2000 He finished fourth in the 2000 U23 Time Trial World Championships behind Evgeni Petrov (RUS), Fabian Cancellara (SWI) and Michael Rogers (AUS) The well-known jokester then graduated to the U.S. Postal Pro Tour team in 2001 where he rode with both Lance Armstrong and George Hincapie 2009 Amgen Tour of California, 2nd overall, 2nd in stage 6 ITT, 3rd in prologue 2008 Giro d Italia, 1st in the stage 1 team time trial 2008 US Pro National Time Trial Championships, 1st overall 2008 World Time Trial Championships, bronze 2008 Tour of California, 6th overall, 1st team overall 2008 Tour de Georgia, 1st in the stage 4 team time trial 2008 Tirreno-Adriatico, 2nd ITT 2007 US National Time Trial Championships, 1st 2006 Tour of California, 2nd overall 2006 US National Time Trial Championships, 1st 2005 Tour Mediterranean, 1st in the team time trial 2005 Giro d Italia, 1st in stage 8 2005 Tour de France, 1st in the prologue 2004 Vuelta a Espana, 1st in stage 11 2004 US National Time Trial Championships, 1st 2003 Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, 1st in the young rider classifications About USA Cycling Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200 certified mechanics and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.