Lemont Native Christian Vande Velde Confirms He'll Race in 2013

Lemont native Christian Vande Velde confirmed Sunday that he will race in 2013, making it his last year in professional cycling, according to a CyclingNews report.

Vande Velde, 36, told the website that he's currently considering his options for next year, but confirmed he will "definitely ride again."

His contract with Garmin-Sharp—the team he signed for in 2008—expires at the end of the season.

"We'll see what happens. The team and I are still talking.We'll see. I would love to stay with Garmin, there's no doubt about it. It just depends about the racing and what I can and can't do in my last year of racing," he told CyclingNews.

Vande Velde is currently competing in his 10th Tour de France, where he is in 81st place out of more than 170 riders heading into Stage 11.

Garmin-Sharp has struggled this year with a number of crashes and disappointing stages, CyclingNews reports.

Vande Velde was part of Armstrong's winning U.S. Postal Service team in 1999, and finished fourth in 2008 and eighth in 2009. Last year, he and Team Garmin-Cervelo for finishing with the best overall time.

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

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