 During the 2011 Tour de France, Vande Velde assisted Tom Danielson to a top ten finish, and was an integral part of 's first place in the team classification.Vande Velde finished a close second at the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, which was ultimately won by Levi Leipheimer ().In the 2012 Giro d'Italia, Vande Velde was instrumental to the victory of his leader Ryder Hesjedal, protecting him in the mountain stages.