Christian Vandevelde develops into a Grand Tour threat. Vandevelde had been a valuable domestique for ten years, but no one, save possibly Jonathan Vaughters (team boss of Garmin-Chipotle), predicted that he had the talent to develop into one of America’s premiere stage racers. But that is exactly what he did, briefly wearing the Pink leader’s jersey in the Giro then hanging with the contenders throughout the Tour’s toughest stages, eventually finishing 5th after turning in an excellent 4th place finish in the final time trial. Because Vandevelde himself did not see his potential the way Vaughters did, it will be intriguing to see how he performs in 2009 when he prepares all year with the belief that he can contend in the biggest races on the pro calendar.