ST. CHARLES — John VandeVelde seemed pretty determined not to let his son follow in his footsteps two decades ago.

Sitting near the finishing line Saturday, holding his granddaughter, Uma, and watching his son, Christian, finish among the leaders of Stage 6 of the Tour of Missouri, he was happy he relented, though glad he made his son wait.

Christian, who races for Garmin-Chipotle, holds the overall lead in the race. Barring a crash or other misfortune, he should keep it through the final stage Sunday in St. Louis.

"It's just been a great race," the younger VandeVelde said, while Uma tripped over his feet. "The best I've been in the States in a long time."

The Tour of Missouri has been a revelation for both generations. Neither imagined that they would live to see a stage race of this caliber so near their homes in suburban Chicago. Both realize that Christian's place at the top has been a long time coming.

First, because of his father's reservations. John, 59, is a member of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. He rode on the U.S. Olympic team in 1968 and 1972, turning pro "the day after Munich was over," he said. "It was total commitment without much money. And the Europeans hated us being there."

He returned to the States after a few years, helping to set up bike and triathlon races. Christian tagged along, setting up barricades and cones, so his excitement about the sport wasn't a surprise. John put on the brakes when Christian wanted to race at 13.

"I saw so many people start at 13 and never blossom," John said. "I told him, 'You're not going to be one of those guys.' I said, 'Play soccer, play golf.'"

Christian got pretty good at golf, playing in the state high school tournament. But he couldn't shake cycling.

"I'm not sure he really held me back that much," Christian said. "But I'd say he didn't push me. I got excited about it as I got older."

Father and son struck a deal for Christian race at age 16. "I paid for half" the bike, Christian said. "He paid for half."

VandeVelde followed his dad on the track but also branched off to road cycling. He signed with the U.S. Postal Service team, rode with Lance Armstrong on his first and third Tour de France victories, even wore the best young rider jersey for a few stages in 1999. He competed in the Olympics on the track in 2000, finishing 12th in the 4,000 meter individual pursuit — just as his father did in Munich.

But back problems set his career back, and the younger VandeVelde got stuck as a support rider.

"It was frustrating to watch," John said. "He looked crooked on the bike. I was always honest with him. I told him, 'You look bad.' He searched for a long time to figure out what was wrong."

His back improved considerably when he joined Team CSC but he continued to ride as a domestique, helping more prominent riders. Only when he joined Garmin this year did he get a chance to become a leader for a young group. Garmin won the team time trial at the Tour of Italy, putting the leaders' jersey on VandeVelde for a day. He followed by finishing fifth overall at the Tour de France.

VandeVelde, 32, took the lead in Missouri by finishing first in the individual time trial Wednesday and relying on his young team to protect him. Columbia attacked relentlessly in the hope of buying back time for Michael Rogers, who is second overall. Despite a pair of stage victories, including Mark Cavendish's on Saturday, Garmin has held.

"We've doubled our experience at being leaders here," he said. "Winning is definitely a different mentality. I know I've finished second or third enough myself. They know what they can and can't do now."

Just as VandeVelde, 32, continues to discover what he can do.

knelson@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8233