Stage four may have been ‘the moment of truth’ for some riders today, but to Jelly Belly rider Bernard Van Ulden it was a piece of cake. Today’s stage began in Alexandra and traversed 115 km to a 16 km uphill finish at Mt. Buller.
After wearing the recognizable polka-dotted KOM jersey in Stage Two of the Sun Tour, Van Ulden has been gaining time each day and is now in an excellent position in the overall standings. He is only 1 minute 30 seconds behind race leader Chris Jongeward from Australian team Panasonic.
“Bernard was climbing like a mountain goat today,” said a very pleased Team Director Danny Van Haute. “He is climbing the best I’ve ever seen him.”
Based on his time, Van Ulden is in 17th place with only two stages to go. Tomorrow’s 16 km individual time trial will be mostly rollers in the Yarra Valley wine region.
“(Bernard) will have his work cut out for him tomorrow in the time trial,” Van Haute said. “And for Saturday we are shooting for a stage win.”
The sixth and final stage of the Sun Tour will be a fast and flat 2 km circuit in Melbourne’s Little Italy where riders will make 30 laps before the final sprint.
Molly Saunders
PR Jelly Belly Cycling Team
2008 Stories
Sun Tour – Stage 4
