On a frigid Chicago afternoon, I was hoping for the best. Christian Vande Velde, Team Garmin’s candid and charismatic leader and local cycling legend, had been talking to journalists in a conference room at the Garmin store while fans in the second-floor auditorium enjoyed highlights from the past two summers in France. With the autograph session set to begin, I led those folks down the stairs to the main floor and was amazed at what I saw. Despite bone-chilling temperatures and vacation-filled schedules, the Windy City’s cycling faithful had lined up from the autograph table at the back of the store, winding past the fitness and nüvifone sections, through the nüvi and zumo displays and out the door to Michigan Avenue. Sandwiched between Christmas and New Year’s festivities, there were many other activities that could have been high on an agenda, but nearly 300 people came through the doors of the store, many toting argyle kits, yellow flags from France or snapshots from Christian’s career, and he took time to meet each person in line.

Then, with the official store closing time looming just minutes away, Christian opted for an informal Q-and-A session, entertaining questions straight from the packed auditorium crowd. When asked if he had recovered from numerous recent rough injuries, he wanted to clarify: “Physically or mentally?” It was just one example of an honest and unfiltered conversation with the same people who cheered the Lemont, Illinois, native through his early years. When asked for a podium prediction, he rattled off a couple favorites but then threw in his own name – to much applause. Christian also talked about using the Edge 705 for the past two years and getting to know the new Edge 500 – Garmin’s top cycling computers that many in the crowd seemed familiar with – and how they’ve been instrumental in his training, even giving him more data than he’d ever know how to crunch. And for an audience hungry for information and full of affection, Christian provided many warm memories on a December night and ample motivation for new year’s resolutions.