As told to Tess Weaver
Images by Steve Goff and Steve West
This year is our 10th annual Clip-In Cycling Camp at The Little Nell. I’m honored it’s still going on—it speaks volumes about the value of what we do. We try to mix it up every year—this year we’re doing lunch on top of Aspen Mountain and maybe a point-to-point ride—but we’ve had a winning formula since the first camp, so we try not to mess with it too much.
It’s the people who make this camp. Nearly half are return guests who I know well now. There’s a camaraderie that’s unique. And in terms of location, there aren’t many places in the world that can beat Aspen, especially in August. It’s one of the few places I like walking around town. The perfect summer weather and spectacular views are unparalleled—not to mention getting to start and finish at The Little Nell, with an incredible lunch and a white Burgundy at the bottom of the gondola.
The highlight is usually the day we ride Independence Pass. People of all ability levels try to beat their time from the previous year. It’s a race against themselves—no one judges. It’s you against you. Last year it started raining, so the guests got a heated ride down in The Little Nell’s luxury SUVs.
My dad [national cycling champion and Olympic medalist John Vande Velde] was my hero. I remember waking up at 5 a.m. to the sound of him pumping up his tires in the garage. I’d get on my Schwinn Pixie and he’d take me on a three-mile loop before his 50-mile ride.
Cycling and two decades as a professional athlete have given me a degree in everything from business to seeing the world—albeit mostly the roads and hotels. Raising a family in Girona, Spain—where I moved to train with the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team—was amazing and difficult. The education that professional cycling has given me outside the classroom is second to none.
One of the most amazing days was on the Stelvio Pass in Italy at the 2012 Giro d’Italia. It’s a famous climb, and the stage had 20,000 vert [vertical feet]. I was off the front all day and, winning or losing, was in the balance. I remember everything from that day. We pulled it off against all odds. [Vande Velde’s teammate, Ryder Hesjedal, went on to claim victory].
Racing for myself, I’ll always remember the Alpe d’Huez stage of the 2008 Tour de France. I had had a bad crash the day before, and I saw my podium chances slip. I ended up attacking on the most iconic climb in cycling and moving up to place fourth in the overall. There were thousands of people screaming. It was the stuff dreams are made of. It was a good day to have good legs.
When I first started as a guest instructor with Peloton in 2014, I didn’t know how rewarding it was going to be. Now, people come up to me in airports saying how much they gain from my class. One guest from Chicago and another from Atlanta came to the Clip-In Camp from Peloton. They went from riding stationary bikes to riding Independence Pass on road bikes.
Cycling is one of the easiest sports to gather data on speed, time, heart rate, wattage, calories. If you use that feedback right, you’ll see improvement. We launched The Breakaway, a cycling training app, to help people realize they are stronger than they think. People make so many decisions throughout the day, they want the training process to be simplified. We hold their hand through the process.
I’ve always leaned into the satisfaction that came from helping my team. Though I’ve had the leader jersey, what I enjoy most is helping my teammates win outright. I’ve always thrived in a team environment and fed off camaraderie.
I lived in Boulder for six years when I rode for Garmin-Slipstream. We did our team presentation at the Boulder Theater. It was very special—it was a true American team.
For this year’s Tour de France, I’ll be on the motorcycle for all 21 days, interviewing riders, analyzing their pedaling, interviewing directors. I’m equal parts excited and nervous. I’ve been in the studio as a cycling analyst for NBC Sports for nine years, and it took time to feel comfortable doing that job. It’ll be interesting to have a different job inside the race and get that amazing feeling that comes from the cold weather and the people screaming. There’s no scrimmage, and it’s going to be a crazy start in Spain for Day 1. Any time the Tour starts outside France, it usually draws three times the people. It’ll be trial by fire.
Aspen is my downtime between two Grand Tours. My wife joins every year after holding down the fort at home in Greenville, South Carolina, while I’m at the Tour de France. This summer, my former teammate, Tyler Farrar, who’s won a stage in every Grand Tour, is a special guest. It’s a time to wind down, connect with great people, and do some beautiful rides.