Stage One of the 2009 Sun Tour began with strong head winds and cross winds. Because of these conditions, it was only a matter of time before the peloton would see a successful break. The break happened at about the 25 mile point when the peloton split in half. Four Jelly Belly riders were in it: Matty Rice, Bernard van Ulden, Kiel Reijnen and Will Routley.
Bad luck hit the Jelly Belly squad early on, however, giving Routley a flat tire and time off the front group, to which he was never able to latch back on. Rice briefly took his eyes off the group and touched wheels with the man in front of him, and even though he hopped right back on he was also never able to catch the front group. Van Ulden and Reijnen remained in the break until the end with Reijnen finishing in 12th.
“That’s bike racing: some days you have good luck and some days you have bad luck,” explained Team Director Danny van Haute. “That’s how our season has been going. The good news is, the weather for the next five days at the Sun Tour will be cool and windy. After seeing today’s race I know our guys will be in the front group everyday for the rest of the tour.”
-Molly Saunders
PR Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team
