The Jelly Belly riders traveled from Sanya to Zinglong for Stage One of the Tour of Hainan. This stage, 163km, consisted mostly of rolling hills and flat roads. And the team’s director said they rode very well.
While much of the stage involved fighting a headwind, the team was in two of the major breaks of the day. Both breaks gained up to 30 to 45 seconds on the pack, and each time there were two Jelly Belly covered GT bicycles leading the way. Nick Riestad and Matty Rice joined the first break and Bernard Van Ulden teamed with Riestad in the second break. Eventually both breaks were caught by the field.
Going into the final sprint the lead out was looking strong, but at about 500 meters the Jelly Belly boys fell short. But even so, the team was able to remain at the top in the GC.
“We just didn’t finish it off today,” Van Haute explained. “But I know tomorrow is another day and we will win a stage.”
Molly Saunders
PR Jelly Belly Cycling Team
