Farrar started racing at 13, and rode for in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006 and 2007. In April 2006, he crashed near the finish of the Circuit de la Sarthe, which resulted in a broken collarbone, causing him to miss most of the season. For the 2008 season, he transferred to. He has won stages in the Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España, Tour de France, Three Days of De Panne, and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. He wore the yellow jersey on stage three of the 2008 Tour of California after winning intermediate sprint points during stage two. Farrar is very popular in Flanders, because he is fluent in Dutch, and lives in the Belgiancity ofGhent. In 2012, was made an honorary citizen of Ghent. In May 2011, Farrar withdrew from the Giro d'Italia as a mark of respect for his friend and training partner Wouter Weylandt, who was killed in an accident during the race. On July 4, 2011, Farrar won his first Tour de France stage, Stage 3 from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon, becoming the first American to win a stage of the Tour on the Fourth of July. Farrar crashed four times in the 2012 Tour de France, including a sprint-finish crash, after which he stormed the team bus to confront Tom Veelers, whom he blamed for the incident. At the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Farrar took his first two wins of the season. In the opening stage, Farrar stated that he was surprised to have survived the mountainous terrain to be able to contend for the sprint. Arriving in Telluride with a field of 57 riders, he was the fastest man to the line. He won again in the fifth stage of the race, dedicating the win to his former Madison partner Mike Creed, who had been raising money for the victims of the Waldo Canyon fires. Due to his two wins he consolidated enough points to win the green jersey. Later in the season, Farrar crashed heavily during the first stage of the Tour of Britain, reportedly suffering a concussion. In October, Farrar was given clearance to train by the team doctor, Prentice Steffen, who stated: "The health of the athlete is always our top priority." Farrar has a reputation for causing or, at least, being implicated in crashes. Alessandro Petacchi noted that Farrar had crashed 18 times in the 2013-2014 seasons, stating "There is probably a reason for this". Meanwhile, Farrar denies using reckless or uncoordinated tactics, and ascribed most of his numerous crashes to "realities of modern cycling". After seven years with, Farrar signed with for the 2015 and 2016 seasons and, later, for the 2017 season. After riding in the 2017 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, Farrar announced his retirement from competition.
