schmalz We’re catching up with Christian Vande Velde who’s recovering at his apartment in Girona, how are you feeling Christian?

VDV I’m feeling pretty good. I feel that I’m definitely on the mend, going in the right direction – every day is a little bit different; but every day I’m going leaps and bounds more than the day before, so in the right direction so far.

schmalz Have you been watching the Giro every day?

VDV Of course, yeah, I watch the Giro every day. And it’s still with different kinds of emotions, but it’s been very fun to watch.

schmalz Does it seem like you were at the Giro about four years ago? Because it seems like this race has been going on forever.

VDV Maybe four and a half. When you figure I raced three stages, then broke a bunch of bones and then pretty much healed up and now I’m back on the bike, and the race is still going on – that’s absurd.

schmalz So what happened, did someone just decide to have a Cat 5 moment in front of you and took you out?

VDV Yeah, more or less. I just got taken out completely. I didn’t even see it happen or anticipate it happening. Before I knew it a rear derailleur went into my front wheel and ripped out all the spokes and I was down.

schmalz And you were descending at that time weren’t you? it was pretty fast…

VDV It was fast, the last reading on my Garmin said 62 k an hour, and then it was zero.

schmalz And then your Garmin just screamed and then it stopped?

VDV Yeah. (laughs) I don’t think it hit the ground, because if it had we would’ve got no information from it.

schmalz On television they didn’t catch your crash, we just saw you on the ground. I think you tried to get up and ride for a bit didn’t you?

VDV No, hell no. I don’t know where anyone reported that. DZ (Dave Zabriskie) stopped and asked if he should wait for me, and I said, "No, go ahead man, thanks for stopping, but I’m not getting up."

schmalz Incredible, searing, pain… Can’t move…

VDV Yeah I was still hyperventilating and my back was all seized up – it was bad. I’ve never had that. I’ve broken my collarbone and my arm and other bones and I’ve always got back on the bike for at least a couple of kilometers and tried. But with this one, it didn’t even cross my mind

schmalz I think the coverage showed someone pacing Zabriskie back and I think people got confused and thought it was you.

VDV Yeah, sure.

schmalz So I’m sure as soon as you’re on the ground, you’re thinking to yourself, "How am I going to make it to the roller races in December?"

VDV (Laughs) Yeah, that was the first thing. I was, "Maybe I’ll peak perfectly for that, you know, I can race late in the season and I’ll have some time off at home. It’ll be perfect now."

schmalz Exactly

VDV You know? I was looking at positives.

schmalz Yes, the light at the end of the tunnel. You’ve cracked a couple of vertebrae and I’m going to go ahead and assume that they are important vertebrae, right?

VDV Yeah, I believe all of your vertebrae are important, Dan. But the part of the bone that I broke is not important, thank God. I broke I believe, three, and I think one of the doctors even said five; but it doesn’t really matter whether it’s one or seven. It’s the back part of the vertebrae, I don’t even know the name of it, I should by this point in time. But it’s more or less a protective,  like an armadillo, you know where the back back protects your vertebrae. That kind of snapped off.

schmalz Yeah, one of the little spiney parts you always look at.

VDV Yeah exactly, more or less a little spine, and that part is snapped off on the edge. It really doesn’t serve much purpose other than for some protection and some muscles attaching to it, so it’s not structural.

schmalz Ah, is it incredibly painful?

VDV It can be. I’m progressing quite quickly, and I’ll come back from riding lately and the endorphins are flying and you’re feeling good, and then you jump on the floor to stretch a little bit and then you roll on your back real quick and "Oh man!", you forget. Because you’ve been doing it for years, and yeah, that’s when you scream.

schmalz "Oh yeah, I broke my back!"

VDV Yeah, and I have a broken rib and a cracked pelvis.

schmalz Can you describe the pain when you go out riding? Is it a stabbing, searing, burning? Is it an "every pedal stroke" thing or is it just kind of a soreness that you have?

VDV I would say sometimes there’s no pain at all, depending on what you’re doing. If I’m just riding along on the flat, there’s no pain at all, I’m pain free. But if I was going up a really steep climb, and I jump out of the saddle, then that torque really bring out a lot of pain on my lower back.

schmalz And I’m assuming that the rib has to really hurt, especially at certain times when you’re breathing really hard.

VDV Yeah, but you know with everything else, that’s really an afterthought.

schmalz That’s good to know – breathing, afterthought – you don’t need to breathe too much…

VDV Yeah, it’s like you break your leg, and then cut off your finger to forget the pain from your leg.

schmalz Um, yeah, awesome. Did you find that you have a big loss of power from this stuff?

VDV No. not at all, actually I think that sometimes a little bit of rest does you good, I don’t feel so bad. The hardest part is just starting to get your legs back underneath you. If I were to take two weeks off in the middle of the year, regardless, it’s always hard to get back on the bike. That’s some of the issues that I’ve been going through.

schmalz Do you think you’d recommend multiple fractures as some sort of training device for a lot of guys?

VDV (laughs) Yeah, no… I don’t think so, it’s not worth it. The morphine is not worth it.

schmalz I’m sure Allen Lim is probably re-written about 4 or 5 different training programs for you by now. What’s the plan?

VDV I know it sounds lame, but the plan is day by day. We go out; we start riding. Allen picks me up in the morning, we cruise on out; and we see how it goes, more or less. A lot of times I have breakthroughs throughout the rides, ups and downs. We reassess halfway through the ride, and at the end of the ride; and if I can keep on going then I do. If I can’t, then we jump in the car and we drive home.

schmalz What’s the racing plan, are you doing to do the Tour de Suisse?

VDV Mmmm, we’ll see, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. I don’t want to go to the Tour de Suisse and really get my teeth knocked in, and do more harm than good. So we’ll see, after this next week I’ll have a really good idea.

schmalz You’re in an interesting psychological position right now because you’ve had your set back with your crash at the Giro now you have to get into that athlete’s mindset which is part delusional, I guess, where you have to find positives from this experience, and you have to take it day by day.

VDV Very much so. You’ve got, living in Spain, a great lifestyle, Sangria lifestyle and then you’re like, "No, I’m still trying to be good for the Tour." It’s hard to not let yourself go completely on vacation, and it’s also hard to be a complete professional at all times when you’re really not even riding you bike. – and you don’t feel like one at all. So yeah, it hasn’t been easy, but now that I’m riding again, I have more of a reason to wake up in the morning. (laughs) It’s the kind of thing that helps the day go by much faster.

schmalz Well, bike racers are kind of psychotic because if they know that someone else is out training then they get that anxiety that says they should be doing that too. I’m sure watching everyone at the Giro, putting in those miles has not been the greatest for your morale.

VDV No, you watch that and you’re like, "Oh man, these guys have put in literally thousands of miles" while you’ve been on the couch, and you’re like, "Holy crap!" But, whatever, I’ll be all right.

schmalz You’re going to nice and fresh

VDV Yeah, I’m fresh and it’s a good feeling.

schmalz At the Giro, what stages we’re you looking at to really test yourself with? They just finished Vesuvius today, was that a stage you were going to look to see what you had in the climbs?

VDV No, I was really looking more at the stages in the first week. Either going for the pink jersey during that time frame and/or taking myself completely off GC and jumping ahead up the road, and going for some of those stages, like the stage that Simon Gerrans won, stages like that. And then of course, the time trial over Passo del Bracco. But I really wanted to be in the hunt for the pink jersey in those first ten days and really feel myself out during those days.

schmalz Mmm hmm, or even try to get away like Danny Pate did yesterday, and then blew it, well, he didn’t blow it, he got beat at the end. Obviously, Scarponi was faster.

VDV That’s true, you cant say he blew it because he rode a beautiful race. He did everything right during that race. And if anyone saw that on TV, it’s very deceiving. It looks like it’s flat, but it’s probably 3 or 4 percent at least the whole way up, and it’s these old slate stones. That feel like, well, you’re riding a slate road.

schmalz I don’t think there anyone I want to see win a Tour stage or a Giro stage more than Danny Pate.

VDV I’ll tell him, he’ll appreciate that.

schmalz Oh, he’s come so close! It’s just heartbreaking, he goes on these breaks that are 150 kilometers; and then at the end he’s just a couple of bike lengths away, it’s heartbreaking. Well, it’s heartbreaking for me, I don’t know how he feels about it.

VDV Well, I’m sure he’s heartbroken, but I think he’s gaining more and more confidence and that makes it easier for him to try it again. Last year, I think he was even closer to the one in the Tour.

schmalz Yeah, he was.

VDV He was good that day, and he doesn’t even realize how good he was. So he’s learning.

schmalz Yeah, were you screaming at the TV yesterday when you were watching it?

VDV You have no idea, my wife – we were all screaming big time. I was shaking and screaming; yeah, it was a good time.

schmalz I know! I was like, "Sit in the wheels, Danny! Don’t go yet! Don’t go! Don’t lead it out!" But, you know, he played the way he thought he should, and it was his race to go after.

VDV You were the climbing presence for the Garmin team, it doesn’t seem that they’re climbing that well in the Giro. Does that concern you for the Tour?

Wiggo is climbing really good, and Dan Martin, he was the best climber at Catalunya. That helps. Wiggo was never a climber before, and he was doing things that he didn’t think he could do. I’ve really been impressed with Bradley, I think he’s going to impress a lot of people at the Tour de France. Dan Martin’s going to be interesting to see. I think Dave Millar will ride well also. He broke a collarbone five weeks before the Giro started, he never thought he was going to do it in the first place.

You’re right, they’re nowhere near climbing with the best right now, but I think we’ll be better than we were last year.

schmalz Wiggo didn’t climb a lot of hills on the velodrome either.

VDV He dropped almost 10% of his body weight this year, so that’s a ton of weight for an already pretty skinny dude. I don’t think even Bradley knows what he can do on a bike.

schmalz And Julian Dean’s really coming around, too, ’cause he was away with Danny Pate in the break, too.

VDV Yeah, everyone, we had a bunch of misfortune in the last couple of months, you know? And Tyler, Tyler’s a great example of having a setback and having it be a blessing in disguise. He messed up his shoulder really good, missed all the classics, and came back guns blazing.

Julian, his knee was absolutely disgusting, completely ripped open. So he just got on a bike couple weeks before the Giro started, so he’s come a long way also.

schmalz I don’t think your leadout has been as rehearsed as Columbia’s has.

VDV They’ve got a great leadout train. The most they have on their side is confidence. Confidence, even with a lesser leadout train, will always go faster than experience.

schmalz Cavendish does not lack confidence.

VDV No, he doesn’t.

schmalz He’s got extra, can spread it around if he has to. He can give everybody a little extra confidence. I think that the Columbia vs Garmin isn’t much of a battle, but he can make it out that way.

VDV (Laughs) He tries.

schmalz It’ll make good television, but I think you guys have all been good friends for a long time.

VDV True.

schmalz I don’t think that’s going to be that big a deal.

In watching the Giro I’m sure you’re assessing your competition for the upcoming Tour. It seems like some people are riding into form during the Giro. Basso, kind of, Lance, getting better. Levi is probably just exhausted.

VDV Levi came back a little today, he looked much better today, he was at the front, he was doing some accelerations. Basso, he’s ridden much better compared to how he started the tour, also Pellizotti. But Carlos, apart from the one bad day he had, I don’t know what happened, maybe just didn’t ride enough on his rest day, or something obviously wasn’t clicking for him that day, he’s been top notch every other day. He’s really impressed me, obviously today, the way he does get away from these guys, just impresses me. Usually when you attack, you’re at your limit, he attacks, the guys get back, he attacks again, and he attacks again, it’s been really impressive to watch.

schmalz I think at the Tour Carlos is going to be one of the big animators on the climbs, because, as you said, he can attack and accelerate on the climbs, whereas other racers are just going to be consistent. Cadel is just consistent on the climbs, he’s not going to attack as much as Carlos is.

VDV You can bring a couple other guys into the equation. Andy Schleck can accelerate like nobody’s business, as can his brother, and obviously Alberto’s no slouch. The best acceleration I’ve ever seen (laughs). It’s a different animal, the Tour. It’s really hard to compare the Giro to the Tour, different time of the year, different roads, apples and oranges, man.

schmalz The Giro’s been dramatic, but it’s not going to have one tenth of the drama of the Tour if Lance and Alberto are on the same team, and you have Andy Schleck’s first Tour as a leader, there’s just so many things that could happen at this Tour.

VDV Yeah, it’s going to be a great Tour, and that’s why I really want to be there.

schmalz And then you can have the Columbia vs Garmin, you guys can have some kind of gang fight.

VDV (Laughs) That would be awesome.

schmalz Maybe get into a fight on their bus.

VDV That’ll be sick. Pillage, maybe spray paint their bus.

schmalz Spary paint the bus, urinate in their water bottles, pull hijinx at the hotel, short sheet their beds…all sorts of things.

VDV Short sheet the beds, you’re a bad guy, Dan.

schmalz I know, that’s straight out of the fifth grade, I’m not afraid to pull out the heavy artillery. That’ll show ’em. Make them have to untuck their sheets.

I’ve read where Michael Barry said they’re not putting the air conditioning on their bus ’cause racers are afraid of getting sick. Do you guys go air conditioning free at the Giro.

VDV We do because we have no choice. We don’t have an air conditioner. We usually don’t think that’s going to be a factor, ’cause nine times out of ten at the Giro you have the heater running ’cause you’re in the Dolomites and it’s snowing or it’s raining. But this has been an obnoxiously hot Giro, I don’t think it’s ever happened. They’ve never had heat like this before at the Giro, the fact that it’s really only rained on them for an hour, is amazing, in May. So back to your question. We don’t have air conditiioning, but that’s a fact, that’s not a choice. 

schmalz The Giro seems different also, it seems like they have a million vehicles in the race, they have so many motos in that race.

VDV There’s no order, today you see there’s 8,000 cars on the road, down in Napoli, it’s just anything goes down there. The same thing goes for the motos. A lot of times, DiLuca’s passed the motos while he’s attacking, these guys don’t know what’s going on. Then you see the guy with the orange flag, one hand on the bike the other hand with an orange flag, what’s up with that?

schmalz I saw that, what exactly is he warning them about? Is he warning them that he’s driving dangerously? What’s the point?

VDV Dude, he’s on a descent, an insane descent, and he’s driving one handed, and he’s supposed to be protecting us! Are you crazy?

schmalz "I’m holding up the flag because I’m about to crash."

VDV (Laughs) He was out there again today, I’m like, "Whoa! What is going on?" Anyways, so yes, there aren’t more vehicles, but there’s less control, if that makes any sense.

schmalz At the Tour they pull the vehicles out near the finish. They don’t seem to pull the vehicles out in the Giro.

VDV No, it’s just really nuts, man. Today everyone was chasing the Menchov group, and Lance and a couple guys are just off the back of that. So they had to ride through spectators that are running in front of them to get back to that group. It’s crazy.

schmalz I have a question about races in general. I think at the Giro this year they had the sign in where you sign in on the mirror so they could tape you signing in. What exactly are you signing in for? I know you have to, but what does that mean exactly?

VDV That’s just to make sure everyone’s present at the start. That just lets them know everyone’s at the line. Apart from that I really don’t know. Believe me, we’re thinking the same thing. I think it’s just part of the pomp and circumstance of how the race, you present all the riders to the crowd one by one, that kind of thing.

schmalz You’re up there, "I don’t know what I’m signing, could be some kind of contract, I’m not sure, but there it is!"

VDV Exactly. There’s been a lot of times I’ve heard people write "I’m going to win today" and those dudes win that day. It’s kinda scary, so maybe there’s something going on.

schmalz Oh, it’s a contract with the devil?

VDV The devil, that’s what it is!

schmalz That explains a lot, then. So what’ve you been doing as far as rehab? Has it been rest, have you been submerging yourself in ice water, have you been…

VDV I did some stuff in my pool, which was kinda nice ’cause it was the first time I’ve used in in five years. Ice, massage, just try to get some stuff moving. You really realize that at the end of the day you just need some time, some time to rest and relax, so I’ve just shut up shop for the last week and relaxed.

schmalz Any spray tan?

VDV (Laughs) No spray tan. I’m not doing much right now, just sitting on my porch, still getting a tan.

schmalz I just assumed that you would feel better with a spray tan.

VDV (Laughs) True, man.

schmalz When you’re in the pack, and it’s a slow day and the break’s away, who do you usually chat up? Is it just your teammates, or is it someone you never think to talk to, but there he is and I might as well see if we can have a conversation? 

VDV A lot of times it’s teammates, actually, which is kinda weird ’cause you think you wouldn’t want to talk to your teammates after you’ve spent every waking moment with them. A lot of times you do end up speaking with your teammates a lot. I speak with Dave Millar quite often, last year I spoke with Levi quite a bit, Bradley Wiggins, Jens Voigt I had a long conversation with. He’s the social butterfly. He wins the prize.

schmalz He chats with everybody, huh?

VDV Everybody, in every language. He’s the most nervous, too, so he’d be in mid sentence and all of a sudden he’d just jump away and back into a breakaway or something. "I have to go! Have to make money!"

schmalz He strikes me as one that’s just going to start talking about transcendental meditation or something while you’re in the group.

VDV Mmmm. Just don’t talk to him about religion.

schmalz Don’t get him started or he’ll never stop?

VDV Just be ready for a battle, you know? Depending on what side you’re on.

schmalz So it gets pretty philosophical in the group sometimes?

VDV With Jens it can be! Some guys are much more well read than you’ll ever think, and sometimes the complete opposite. You’d think they’d be more (laughs) smarter than they actually are.

schmalz Ah, Pozzato strikes me as a philosopher rider.

VDV (Laughs) Yeah, you got it.

schmalz He strikes me as a deep thinker. "You know, I was just thinking about Kant, and I just had to share this with you."

VDV That’s him.

schmalz That’s him in a nutshell, eh? He’s all about the cornrows and a little bit of Kant.

That’s exactly what I think now when I think about Pozzato, it’s cornrows.

schmalz I know, that’s just, so ill advised. I love it, though.

VDV Then I think of Nate Dog.

schmalz Nate Dog and Pozzato, working the peloton. I wonder if Pozzato’s ever come across Nate Dog in his musical wanderings.

VDV (Laughs) I don’t think so, dude! I hope he never does, too, for his sake.

schmalz I see Pozzato as listening to the music from Night of the Roxy and just bobbing his head from side to side. That’s what I see him pulling off, but I have a distorted view of reality.

VDV Yeah, you do.

schmalz Well, we just hope you the best, just wanted to check in before you go to the Tour.

VDV Alright, man.

schmalz We’ll check in again to see if you have your form back, depending on how your racing goes.

VDV That sounds fair enough. Gimme a couple weeks, and I think we’ll have a good idea.

schmalz Don’t deny yourself a spray tan.

VDV Ok, I won’t. I’ll make it fantabulous. 

schmalz You’ll feel like a million bucks. You’ll be orange, you’ll be ready to go.

VDV Alright.