Kiel Reijnen | MissingSaddle

I am happy to reprot that stage 3 here at the Tour of Hainan ended in victory for Team Jelly Belly!

The day started with a couple of different goals. First, I was sitting only 1 point out of the kom jersey so we needed to score some hill top points to try and steal the jersey. Second, make sure we had representation in the breakaways. Third, lead out Brad and Sean for the finale.

It was a very nervous start to the stage as the 9km cat. 1 climb began less than a kilometer from the start. Sergio put in the first move once we hit the climb and took four others clear with him. We were happy with that situation but the kom leader decided to bridge to the move a couple minutes later. That was dangerous for me to miss so I had to follow, it took a fair effort but I was able to bridge up to him, and around the next bend the two of us caught Sergio and his breakaway companions. The situation looked good as I now had a teammate to help me battle for points and the kom jersey did not. Only moments later the kom jersey attacked, I followed but couldn’t hang on. Sergio and I set tempo in an effort to reel him back but we were unable to reach him before the top. I still scored points to keep me in the running but the jersey remains were it started the day.

The climb was a huge effort. Sergio and one other sat up (after sacrificing himself in an effort to put me in range of points) while the remaining 4 of us rode on in an effort to stay away. Astana must have sensed the danger because they upped the tempo and the 4 of us were swallowed up 20km later, but not before we scored some time bonuses on the intermediate sprint. I managed 2nd giving me a 2 second bonus to move into 5th or 6th overall for the time being.

The peleton made its way along the river on rolling terrain, as Sergio and I did our best to recover from our early work. A small break of three snuck away and Astana, who was doing the controlling seemed content to let them up the road. The second categorized climb for the day came at 75 km in. A cat. 2, roughly 2km in length. Bernard brought me up to the kom jersey and I glued myself to his wheel as his teammate stepped on the gas. The three of us quickly disappeared up the road away from the chaos of the field. It was going to be a manno y manno sprint for the final point. I waited until the last 50 meters and made my move. It was enough and I took the remaining point (unfortunately the majority of the points were lost up the rode because of the three escapees).

After the second kom thing in the field were pretty boring until we hit the 25km to go sign. Hard rain, which had started sometime after the second climb kept the attackers at bay as we swallowed up the three escapees. As the rain cleared and we came inside 20km to go and the pace picked up quickly, stringing everything out. We amassed towards the back of the field as planned and waited. Our hope was to save energy by sitting at the back of the race instead of fighting for position for the final 20km. It paid off and as we hit the 4km to go sign Will moved to the left side all of us on his wheel. Slowly he ramped up the pace until he was blown, at that point I came through and continued our progress until we were alongside the front of the race. I peeled off and Bernie came through to over take the front of the race, Sergio pulled through after that keeping the pace high coming into the final turn. At 1 km to go Brad and Sean were in perfect position but on their own to fight out the sprint. At 500 meters to go Brad hit out in an attempt to lead out Sean but apparently he went so quickly that a gap opened to the field and he stayed in front of the field all the way across the line!

We were one of the most aggressive teams out there today and although the kom jersey would have been good to snag a stage win is a nice consolation. It was a really solid show casing of team work and it paid off, not to mention Brad had an amazing sprint! Hopefully tomorrow will bring more of the same.

Ya so today was a bit more interesting than yesterdays short circuit race. Ukrain and Kazakstan took the front from the gun with Ukrain in the yellow jersey. I sprinted for the first KOM, got 3rd, it was really just a 300-400meter long kicker. Then it was really hot, really boring and really slow for about 100km. The final climb was a bit more substantial coming at 140km into the stage, about 4km long and averaged 5 or 6 percent. We hit the base fast and vino from astana took the front. He drilled it until there were 30-40 guys left then his teammate took over at a more reasonable pace, my teammates took me up to front and dropped me off. Most everyone was on the limit, I had enough to kick for the KOM again and got second, so I should be sitting 2nd 1 or 2 points out of the pokadot jersey, thanks to Bernie and Sergio. Bernie and I hung in the front group, somewhere in the top ten across the line, it was a downhill sprint with super sketchy road reflectors that were blowing apart guys wheels left and right. Anyway things are looking alright for the GC and KOM at the moment. I think tomorrow starts out with a climb pretty much from the gun so that is going to be fun. It was pretty hot again today, hard to drink enough, super humid too, everyone is feeling it a bit. Our new hotel is a heck of a downgrade from the last (which was a 4 star resort), looks like I’ll be eating out of the bag tonight!

Spirits are high on the team. After yesterdays stage we had to ride in a parade through the big city on the island. All the participants for miss world beauty pageant were in the parade with us. Got to give Miss U.S.A. a high-five!

Well that’s all I can think of to report. Going to heat up some water for my MRE and get some stretching in.

First off a big congratulations to my teammate Bernard VanUlden on his 3rd place finish in the National Timetrial! Second, a huge thank you to all of my teammates for giving their all to make sure I made it to the finish line in one piece!

One-day races are always a crapshoot, but National Championships are particularly unique events. Before the road race began this past Sunday I don’t think there was a single person who could have predicted the final podium. Headline names included George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, Jeff Louder, Brent Bookwalter and a handful of other prominent American riders. These were the names that everyone expected to be on the podium after five and a half hours of brutal attrition, but it wasn’t to be.

At 1:00PM Eastern time 80 of the top U.S. cyclists were “Launched into orbit!” (a quote from my buddy Dave Towle, announcer for the race). The first attack of the day would be the one that stuck as a lethargic field crept through town. For over an hour and a half my feet hardly touched the pedals as the breaks gap grew to over seventeen minutes!

Everyone in the field was waiting for everyone else to pick up the chase. Keep in mind that many of the teams present at U.S. Nationals only have four or five riders in the event, thats not a lot of guys to sacrifice. Up the climb we went and around town for another large lap. By this time the field was getting anxious and with so many fresh riders it wasn’t long before the field started picking up the pace on the climb. I sat near the front as I could as various teams picked up the pace.

After three long loops it was obvious that the heat was taking its toll. Many riders looked tired even though the race hadn’t gone full gas. As we made the final approach to the last time up the climb, Scott Zwizanski and Daniel Holloway were swallowed up, leaving Ben King the lone leader with a hefty six minute gap. Teams fought hard to reach the bottom of the climb in good position, the tempo picked up and riders started flying backwards. At the head of the field attacks came but nothing powerful enough to explode everything. As we approached the final kilometer George Hincapie put in a hard dig to spur the action Levi followed and I jumped on Levi’s wheel. I knew it was time to make the race aggressive so as soon as I could I leaped from Levi’s wheel and made a bid for the top. As we crested the hill I looked back to see George and Levi in hot pursuit but behind them a sizable gap had opened so I put my head down and started riding. George began to work with me opening the gap to the field just enough. With Ben King up the road Levi decided to sit on in the hope that we wouldn’t be able to catch the lone leader. The gap slowly crept up to just shy of a minute to a group of 20 chasers. I kept pushing forward hoping that the disrganization behind would play to our advantage, but when you have someone like Levi just sitting on your wheel staying fresh just waiting to attack you it can be a bit demotivating. Eventually as we made our way down to the finishing circuits the group behind gained momentum and we were swallowed up with only 14 miles left.

At that point the cat and mouse started. Ben’s gap held steady as we took turns attacking the diminished group. It was a frustrating situation but no-one had enough teammates to make a drive for the line. As we approached the finish line for the final time I knew that I would have to give everything in the sprint to make it onto the podium. It was me vs. 20 other guys that wanted it just as bad. as we hit 700 meters to go a slight rise to the final corner seemed the perfect opportunity to hit out, but before I could even think about going for it Chris Horner buzzed around me and took off. I put my head down and went as hard as I could to reconnect with his wheel. We rounded the final bend and with 300 meters to go I made contact. I had just enought time to take one last deep breath before I dove to the side of Chris and gave one last final push to the line. With 50 meters to go I had edged out Chris, but Alex Candelario came around my side to clam second.

As soon as we crossed the line I felt like collapsing, the humid air was too thick to breath and all I could think about was jumping into a giant swimming pool. Just like that it was over. Two months of preparation, 185km of racing in the heat and with no warning at all it was done. At the beginning of the year I said I wanted to be on the podium at Nationals and there I was on the podium, but once your there it is only two small steps to the top and that is what will keep me training all the way until next year.

A video from the post race press conference:

http://www.podiuminsight.com/2010/09/21/us-pro-with-kiel-reijnen/

This blog entry was written a few of us on the team so it might sound a bit mismatched…

Fresh off an overall win and five days in yellow at Tour of Thailand team Jelly Belly has headed across the (other) pond yet again for the Tour de Korea. The team is using the ten-day stage race as its final prep for the Amgen Tour of California.

Two days prior to the race start teams flew into the self-governing Island of Jeju off the Southern tip of South Korea. A few short training rides helped the team loosen up their legs and get over the jet lag from the 15 hour flight. Riding in a new place is always exciting especially when everything is foreign. Notable findings on the team’s adventures included: finding and exploring a orange groves, public outdoor gyms, volcanic beaches and the health and sex museum (there was a statue of a penis over six feet tall, amongst many other “interesting” things).

STAGE 1: Tour of Korea kicks off

182 km of fast and furious racing on Jeju Island opened the Tour de Korea. The team woke to heavy cross winds and pouring rain that would continue throughout the day. Attacks came from the gun and continued for the first 50km of the stage seeing three riders break free of the field gaining a maximum time of 9:30 minutes after the field sat up for a small reprieve. We bided our time knowing that we were circumnavigating an island and would inevitably encounter crosswinds. We took the opportunity to test the field putting it in the gutter as we drove the pace on the front eventually drawing out 20 riders. A large bunch caught back on after we settled back down, at which point we each started attacking, knowing that if we maintained the pressure that we initiated and knowing that the part of the field that caught up had to chase hard, they must have been hurting. It only took a few attacks before the force whittled down the front group to another 20 guys, of which we had four, Huff, Routley, Reijnen, and Friedman. Our luck changed marred by a few flats, mechanicals, and a near crash leaving Friedman in the front group alone, but Reijnen was able to chase back into the disorganized front group, an impressive feat finalizing the group that would ride to the line 2:30 minutes down on the eventual race winner. The brutal cross winds and miserable weather took their toll on the field which finished another 2:45 minutes down. It was a great day for the team however, because we were able to practice some tactics we normally don’t get a chance to do, and gain confidence that when we go, we are strong enough to split a large field or riders. It was 100 % teamwork, the same we used in Redlands, Thailand, and will be using here.

The transfer off Jeju was interesting to say the least. Once we took a shower, it was rush time. First we had to catch an hour bus ride to the airport to catch a chartered jet with Korean Air. The airport was mass mayhem full of people trying to check in and along with all the teams with luggage, it was chaos to the extreme. Another wrench was thrown into the situation when one of the Jelly Belly riders wasn’t on the Korean Air list, along with twenty or so others, so everything was on delay. Once airborne it was another hour till we touched down and yet again, a van ride for another hour to dinner, and finally bed without massage. Everyone’s legs are sore, but we are excited for tomorrow’s stage.

STAGE 2: Jelly belly on the podium

148 Kilometers in sunny 70 degree weather made the start of the stage enjoyable, that is until the 0 km line. Attacks went left, right, center and probably would have come from above and below if they could have. The attacks never stopped for 148 kms. There was one 4 man break away that contained JB’s Will Routley. They got a 48 second gap and maintained it until just before KOM, but Will had made his move and gathered the maximum point value. Everyone could feel the day before as well as the transfer, but were fresh enough to ferociously attack consistently. JB’s plan was simply to follow moves and tag any that looked dangerous. Most of the moves we were represented in were clearly chased down quickly. With only 5km left in the stage everyone was suffering from the constant accelerations and at that moment on a small riser Routley and Friedman launched a ferocious late race move. Followed by four other riders the six held a 15 second advantage to the line. Friedman and Routley placed 2nd and 3rd respectively catapulting Friedman into 3rd overall.

STAGE 3: Epic is an understatement

If we thought stage two was filled with attacks and accelerations, we were wrong. 227km, 6,000kjs, and 3,245 attacks later stage three still came down to a 70 man sprint. The day started off with a strong 15 man move that contained Friedman, Routley and Reijnen. The group reached a maximum advantage of 2 minutes but by km 50 it was grouppo compacto. Some more bad luck saw Reijnen back in the cars with two flats. Seeing the danger Dickeson dropped back to help Reijnen chase back to the main group. More bad luck saw Dickeson with a small mechanical forcing him out of the back of the caravan with 55km remaining. After more furious attacking and a few short climbs the field split once again seeing another 20 man group head up the road including Mike and Will. The escapees quickly gained two minutes on the disorganized field but a strong chase by the Hong Kong National team in the final hour of the race left only Routley off the front with 20 km to go. The motivated field eventually swallowed up Routley in the final few kilometers and finished in a bunch kick. It was a though day for the team with some bad luck and frustrating racing tactics from the field, however none of us could hold back a smile when Dickeson crossed the line within time cut after riding the final 55km into heavy winds on a 227km stage by himself, a real trooper, and an invaluable teammate. His ill-timed bad luck didn’t stop him from pushing on to help the team in later stages. He was certainly the hero of the day.

STAGE 4: Getting the routine

After yesterdays stage we all felt lucky to be moving in the morning. At breakfast it was obvious stage three had hurt some guys. We shoveled down cereal and eggs secretly praying that the day’s stage might have some control instead of suicidal attacking all day. When four riders made an escape after 30 km of attacking we finally got our wish. A number of teams took up a steady chase. The last kilometers of the stage were very hectic and the chasing teams misjudged the escape group. Mike took the bunch sprint for fifth place right on the heels of the four escapees who help a mere 3-second gap to the line. Will was also able to hold onto his KOM jersey for yet another day after scoring 3rd place on the only mountain of the day.

STAGE 5 and 6: Foot and Mouth disease forces a shortened stage

Due to the bovine illness, and the strong desire to not spread the disease further. Stage 5 was shortened from 150 to 77km, and stage 6 from 198 to 53! Drastic differences in distance, certainly affected the plans we had as a team. With the consistent attacking day after day, it was beginning to show on the other athletes in the field, which we were banking on going into the latter and harder stages of the tour. Both days came down into a hectic bunch kick, which we stayed safe in.

Stage 7:

After the previous two stages were shortened due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, the race continued as planned for the seventh stage. Overnight the weather turned from crisp and sunny to misserable and pouring. Team Jelly Belly knew the tough conditions and longer distance would take their toll on the exhausted field. The team prepared as best it could for the epic stage, layered with rain jackets and thermals they stood huddled at the start line. As is normal in Asian racing the zero kilometer mark brough a flury of intense attacks. The attacks were relentless until the 50km mark when a group of seven including Jelly Belly’s Mike Friedman and Kiel Reijnen made a well timed escape. The break’s advantage didn’t reach beyond a minute as a motivated field chased hard. The effort took its toll however and only 20km later it was obvious that the peleton was suffering. The extreme cold and unrelenting rain reduced the ablitity of any riders to respond. Thats when Mike, Will R. and Kiel went up the road for a second time with 35km remaining. This time the move was for good as the Jelly Belly boys hammered, driving the 16 man breakaway in the final 30km. The Hong Kong National team, who held the yellow jersey from stage one, were unable to respond in the closing kilometers. The final gap across the line was a stagering nine and a half minutes, catapulting Mike Friedman into the overall lead by 17seconds over Kelly Benefits rider Jessie Anthony. The 34 degree weather and pouring rain hurt the Jelly Belly boys, but not nearly as much as it hurt the rest of the field. There were reports of riders crying at the back of the peleton and over ten riders decided to call it quits and jump in the back of the broom wagon. It was a day to go down in the history books and one the team won’t soon forget.

After an epic day of wind, rain and snow when Mike Freidman had taken the yellow jersey, team JellyBelly – P/B Kenda were happy to enjoy a rest day.
We took the opportunity to go for a 2 hour roll and scout out the opening climb of the next stage. This turned out to be invaluable as we were suprised with a 7.5km climb that still had a solid coating of snow from the previous day.
When the flag dropped, we were able to ‘float with the moves’ – basically follow any big attacks but not expend too much of our own energy. As we hit the climb, the Seoul Cycling team took over the work at the front while we simply rode at a pace that was comfortable for Mike and prepared for a hair-raising descent to get back with the leaders. After the field coming together and numerous attacks, a break of 2 riders, followed by another 5 escaped with the most threatening to Mike’s position being 11 minutes down. This left Kiel and the two Will’s with the task of riding tempo on the front for the next 120km as the route gradually headed upwards to over 1000m. After another attack from Seoul Cycling, we once again took advantage of Mike’s decending skills to regain contact just as the bunch reached the coastline. From there it was 25km of brutal headwind and the buch just failed to catch 2 remaining breakaway riders. From the team point of view, we survived an epic 225km day with 2500m of climbing with only 4 riders to protect the yellow jersey.

Going into stage 9 – a 150km stage with the biggest mountain of the tour in the first 30km, Team Jellybell p/b Kenda knew that it would be tough to hold the yellow jersey. Within minutes of the flag dropping, and into a strong headwind, an acceptable break away was established. However, once again it was Seoul Cycling driving the pace as the road climbed and Mike was forced to ride at his own pace, with the help of Will R and Kiel. After setting tempo to the base of the climb and being caught out by the acceleration, Will D was not quite able to regain contact and was left with 120km in ‘gruppetto’ to make it to the finish. This left Kiel and Will R with the job of staying with Mike on a stage that contained another 5 climbs and a total of 2000m ascent, and trying to hold his wheel on the descents. Each time Mike looked to be in trouble, the boys stayed calm and were able to not only negate any dangerous attacks but also return to the group of favourites every time they were gapped. Once again, the break was successful, but importantly for us, Mike reached the finish with the rest of the top 10 riders and only had to survive one more day.

Stage 10 looked at first glance to be procession for the yellow jersey – a 49km street race in downtown Seoul. However as we studied the race handbook and began to hear reports from the locals, we knew this would not be the case. After 35km of flat racing along the main river that flows through Seoul, the course turned stright up hill and into a park that contains Seoul’s highest peak. This entire section of road also contained a row of bollards down the centre line, deep drainage ditches on either side and many speed bumps, conveniently made of cobble stones. as the road steepened to 12%, once again the team came together, remaining with Mike as the climbers attacked out of sight. On the dangerous descent, Mike’s bike skills were on display as he and Will D emerged with only a 20sec gap to the leaders. With the top placings only separtated by seconds and the tour title up for grabs, Will gave Mike one last ‘death pull’ to close the gap to a point where he was able to jump accross. Another break-neck chase from Kiel and Will R resulted in them reaching the front group in the final 2 kilometers and at that point we knew not only the tour was won but also the classification for best team.

So Team Jellybelly p/b Kenda has completed 2 UCI tours in Asia this month and won them both. The hard racing and long stages have given us great form and all of the guys have immediately begun to focus on the upcomming Tour of California. Can’t wait!

This blog entry was written a few of us on the team so it might sound a bit mismatched…

Fresh off an overall win and five days in yellow at Tour of Thailand team Jelly Belly has headed across the (other) pond yet again for the Tour de Korea. The team is using the ten-day stage race as its final prep for the Amgen Tour of California.

Two days prior to the race start teams flew into the self-governing Island of Jeju off the Southern tip of South Korea. A few short training rides helped the team loosen up their legs and get over the jet lag from the 15 hour flight. Riding in a new place is always exciting especially when everything is foreign. Notable findings on the team’s adventures included: finding and exploring a orange groves, public outdoor gyms, volcanic beaches and the health and sex museum (there was a statue of a penis over six feet tall, amongst many other “interesting” things).

STAGE 1: Tour of Korea kicks off

182 km of fast and furious racing on Jeju Island opened the Tour de Korea. The team woke to heavy cross winds and pouring rain that would continue throughout the day. Attacks came from the gun and continued for the first 50km of the stage seeing three riders break free of the field gaining a maximum time of 9:30 minutes after the field sat up for a small reprieve. We bided our time knowing that we were circumnavigating an island and would inevitably encounter crosswinds. We took the opportunity to test the field putting it in the gutter as we drove the pace on the front eventually drawing out 20 riders. A large bunch caught back on after we settled back down, at which point we each started attacking, knowing that if we maintained the pressure that we initiated and knowing that the part of the field that caught up had to chase hard, they must have been hurting. It only took a few attacks before the force whittled down the front group to another 20 guys, of which we had four, Huff, Routley, Reijnen, and Friedman. Our luck changed marred by a few flats, mechanicals, and a near crash leaving Friedman in the front group alone, but Reijnen was able to chase back into the disorganized front group, an impressive feat finalizing the group that would ride to the line 2:30 minutes down on the eventual race winner. The brutal cross winds and miserable weather took their toll on the field which finished another 2:45 minutes down. It was a great day for the team however, because we were able to practice some tactics we normally don’t get a chance to do, and gain confidence that when we go, we are strong enough to split a large field or riders. It was 100 % teamwork, the same we used in Redlands, Thailand, and will be using here.

The transfer off Jeju was interesting to say the least. Once we took a shower, it was rush time. First we had to catch an hour bus ride to the airport to catch a chartered jet with Korean Air. The airport was mass mayhem full of people trying to check in and along with all the teams with luggage, it was chaos to the extreme. Another wrench was thrown into the situation when one of the Jelly Belly riders wasn’t on the Korean Air list, along with twenty or so others, so everything was on delay. Once airborne it was another hour till we touched down and yet again, a van ride for another hour to dinner, and finally bed without massage. Everyone’s legs are sore, but we are excited for tomorrow’s stage.

STAGE 2: Jelly belly on the podium

148 Kilometers in sunny 70 degree weather made the start of the stage enjoyable, that is until the 0 km line. Attacks went left, right, center and probably would have come from above and below if they could have. The attacks never stopped for 148 kms. There was one 4 man break away that contained JB’s Will Routley. They got a 48 second gap and maintained it until just before KOM, but Will had made his move and gathered the maximum point value. Everyone could feel the day before as well as the transfer, but were fresh enough to ferociously attack consistently. JB’s plan was simply to follow moves and tag any that looked dangerous. Most of the moves we were represented in were clearly chased down quickly. With only 5km left in the stage everyone was suffering from the constant accelerations and at that moment on a small riser Routley and Friedman launched a ferocious late race move. Followed by four other riders the six held a 15 second advantage to the line. Friedman and Routley placed 2nd and 3rd respectively catapulting Friedman into 3rd overall.

STAGE 3: Epic is an understatement

If we thought stage two was filled with attacks and accelerations, we were wrong. 227km, 6,000kjs, and 3,245 attacks later stage three still came down to a 70 man sprint. The day started off with a strong 15 man move that contained Friedman, Routley and Reijnen. The group reached a maximum advantage of 2 minutes but by km 50 it was grouppo compacto. Some more bad luck saw Reijnen back in the cars with two flats. Seeing the danger Dickeson dropped back to help Reijnen chase back to the main group. More bad luck saw Dickeson with a small mechanical forcing him out of the back of the caravan with 55km remaining. After more furious attacking and a few short climbs the field split once again seeing another 20 man group head up the road including Mike and Will. The escapees quickly gained two minutes on the disorganized field but a strong chase by the Hong Kong National team in the final hour of the race left only Routley off the front with 20 km to go. The motivated field eventually swallowed up Routley in the final few kilometers and finished in a bunch kick. It was a though day for the team with some bad luck and frustrating racing tactics from the field, however none of us could hold back a smile when Dickeson crossed the line within time cut after riding the final 55km into heavy winds on a 227km stage by himself, a real trooper, and an invaluable teammate. His ill-timed bad luck didn’t stop him from pushing on to help the team in later stages. He was certainly the hero of the day.

STAGE 4: Getting the routine

After yesterdays stage we all felt lucky to be moving in the morning. At breakfast it was obvious stage three had hurt some guys. We shoveled down cereal and eggs secretly praying that the day’s stage might have some control instead of suicidal attacking all day. When four riders made an escape after 30 km of attacking we finally got our wish. A number of teams took up a steady chase. The last kilometers of the stage were very hectic and the chasing teams misjudged the escape group. Mike took the bunch sprint for fifth place right on the heels of the four escapees who help a mere 3-second gap to the line. Will was also able to hold onto his KOM jersey for yet another day after scoring 3rd place on the only mountain of the day.

STAGE 5 and 6: Foot and Mouth disease forces a shortened stage

Due to the bovine illness, and the strong desire to not spread the disease further. Stage 5 was shortened from 150 to 77km, and stage 6 from 198 to 53! Drastic differences in distance, certainly affected the plans we had as a team. With the consistent attacking day after day, it was beginning to show on the other athletes in the field, which we were banking on going into the latter and harder stages of the tour. Both days came down into a hectic bunch kick, which we stayed safe in.

Stage 7:

After the previous two stages were shortened due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, the race continued as planned for the seventh stage. Overnight the weather turned from crisp and sunny to misserable and pouring. Team Jelly Belly knew the tough conditions and longer distance would take their toll on the exhausted field. The team prepared as best it could for the epic stage, layered with rain jackets and thermals they stood huddled at the start line. As is normal in Asian racing the zero kilometer mark brough a flury of intense attacks. The attacks were relentless until the 50km mark when a group of seven including Jelly Belly’s Mike Friedman and Kiel Reijnen made a well timed escape. The break’s advantage didn’t reach beyond a minute as a motivated field chased hard. The effort took its toll however and only 20km later it was obvious that the peleton was suffering. The extreme cold and unrelenting rain reduced the ablitity of any riders to respond. Thats when Mike, Will R. and Kiel went up the road for a second time with 35km remaining. This time the move was for good as the Jelly Belly boys hammered, driving the 16 man breakaway in the final 30km. The Hong Kong National team, who held the yellow jersey from stage one, were unable to respond in the closing kilometers. The final gap across the line was a stagering nine and a half minutes, catapulting Mike Friedman into the overall lead by 17seconds over Kelly Benefits rider Jessie Anthony. The 34 degree weather and pouring rain hurt the Jelly Belly boys, but not nearly as much as it hurt the rest of the field. There were reports of riders crying at the back of the peleton and over ten riders decided to call it quits and jump in the back of the broom wagon. It was a day to go down in the history books and one the team won’t soon forget.

After an epic day of wind, rain and snow when Mike Freidman had taken the yellow jersey, team JellyBelly – P/B Kenda were happy to enjoy a rest day.
We took the opportunity to go for a 2 hour roll and scout out the opening climb of the next stage. This turned out to be invaluable as we were suprised with a 7.5km climb that still had a solid coating of snow from the previous day.
When the flag dropped, we were able to ‘float with the moves’ – basically follow any big attacks but not expend too much of our own energy. As we hit the climb, the Seoul Cycling team took over the work at the front while we simply rode at a pace that was comfortable for Mike and prepared for a hair-raising descent to get back with the leaders. After the field coming together and numerous attacks, a break of 2 riders, followed by another 5 escaped with the most threatening to Mike’s position being 11 minutes down. This left Kiel and the two Will’s with the task of riding tempo on the front for the next 120km as the route gradually headed upwards to over 1000m. After another attack from Seoul Cycling, we once again took advantage of Mike’s decending skills to regain contact just as the bunch reached the coastline. From there it was 25km of brutal headwind and the buch just failed to catch 2 remaining breakaway riders. From the team point of view, we survived an epic 225km day with 2500m of climbing with only 4 riders to protect the yellow jersey.

Going into stage 9 – a 150km stage with the biggest mountain of the tour in the first 30km, Team Jellybell p/b Kenda knew that it would be tough to hold the yellow jersey. Within minutes of the flag dropping, and into a strong headwind, an acceptable break away was established. However, once again it was Seoul Cycling driving the pace as the road climbed and Mike was forced to ride at his own pace, with the help of Will R and Kiel. After setting tempo to the base of the climb and being caught out by the acceleration, Will D was not quite able to regain contact and was left with 120km in ‘gruppetto’ to make it to the finish. This left Kiel and Will R with the job of staying with Mike on a stage that contained another 5 climbs and a total of 2000m ascent, and trying to hold his wheel on the descents. Each time Mike looked to be in trouble, the boys stayed calm and were able to not only negate any dangerous attacks but also return to the group of favourites every time they were gapped. Once again, the break was successful, but importantly for us, Mike reached the finish with the rest of the top 10 riders and only had to survive one more day.

Stage 10 looked at first glance to be procession for the yellow jersey – a 49km street race in downtown Seoul. However as we studied the race handbook and began to hear reports from the locals, we knew this would not be the case. After 35km of flat racing along the main river that flows through Seoul, the course turned stright up hill and into a park that contains Seoul’s highest peak. This entire section of road also contained a row of bollards down the centre line, deep drainage ditches on either side and many speed bumps, conveniently made of cobble stones. as the road steepened to 12%, once again the team came together, remaining with Mike as the climbers attacked out of sight. On the dangerous descent, Mike’s bike skills were on display as he and Will D emerged with only a 20sec gap to the leaders. With the top placings only separtated by seconds and the tour title up for grabs, Will gave Mike one last ‘death pull’ to close the gap to a point where he was able to jump accross. Another break-neck chase from Kiel and Will R resulted in them reaching the front group in the final 2 kilometers and at that point we knew not only the tour was won but also the classification for best team.

So Team Jellybelly p/b Kenda has completed 2 UCI tours in Asia this month and won them both. The hard racing and long stages have given us great form and all of the guys have immediately begun to focus on the upcomming Tour of California. Can’t wait!

This season kicked off for the team at the Redlands Bicycle classic. The whole team came in storming, with two of us on the podium after the prologue, a stage win on day two and 3rd, 4th and 5th overall on Sunday. Needless to say we got a taste for the podium and we wanted more. Redlands ended on Sunday afternoon and by 7PM we were at LAX to catch our 15:30 hr flight to Bangkok…I know, sounds like a blast, right? Sleep deprived and exhausted, we made it to Thailand just 40 hours before the race started. Tour of Thailand was a six day race starting with a time trial. The forecast for the week was 100+ degrees everyday, with 60-70% humidity.

Day 1: We all woke up early from the jet lag and proceeded downstairs for an easy spin to flush out the legs from the flight. As soon as you walk out the front doors of the hotel it feels like someone has a blow dryer pointed in your face. Immediately, sweat begins to pour from your body and your feet ache in your shoes. We headed out of town on what seemed to be a less busy street, but 10km later we were in uncharted territory. The roads were more and more rough and the scenery changed from a bustling city to jungle. One hour into the ride and all of us had finished off our water bottles. We stopped at the first “store” we could find, really just someone’s home with a few odds and ends for sale. There we found water and some amazing fruit drink that I swear tasted exactly like Kix cereal.

At this point in the ride we could all tell we were getting dehydrated and a bit delirious (even though we had each consumed a couple of liters of water in the 2 hours we had been out) so we hightailed it home. That first ride was a bit discouraging for all of us and I have to say we were all a bit nervous about racing in that kind of heat.

Day 2: The body adapts quicker than we tend to give it credit for, as evidenced by our team going 1-5 in the opening TT!! Only one other rider in the 130 man field was able to break the 7 minute mark, while our entire team was stacked between 6:47 and 6:55. Standing on the podium receiving the race’s first yellow jersey, I knew that this race was going to be a special one.

Day 3: Standing around the lobby packed with bottles and ice packs, we talked about our tactic for the day. With Mike in the green jersey and me in the yellow we felt confident. Stepping out of the lobby and rolling over to the race start all of our ice melted, leaving us feeling like we were inside of an oven by the time the race started. It only got worse as the day went on. A two man breakaway forced us to go to the front and pace the field towards the finish, but the boys were strong and we knew we would be able to keep the jersey another day. 20km to go on the stage, the break was reeled back and that is when disaster struck. Will R. double flatted and Will D. waited, Mike got caught at the back trying to get more bottles and John was over heated from pulling all day, so the field hit us hard. The attacks came fast and furious and before I knew it I was the only Jelly Belly left in the front group. It was a hard day ending with three of us throwing up and in the hurt locker from sun stroke. We barely kept the jersey and the other guys lost their opportunity for a high overall result. It was frustrating because we knew how strong we were, but lady luck was not on our side that day.

Day 3: The confusion and shuffling from the day before did leave us with a clear goal for the rest of the race – keep yellow on my back. We were determined not to let the bad luck from the day before stop us. The guys rode beautifully. For 200 and some odd kilometers I rode behind my four teammates. Protected and well hydrated, they delivered me all the way to the line as fresh as when the day had started.

Day 4: Still in yellow, the plan was the same. Jelly Belly troops patrolled the front all day suffering in the heat and humidity, once again trying to keep me as fresh as possible. The team was like a well oiled machine. Jon is at the end of a 15 minute pull, he swings off as Will D. slides to the front for his next monstrous pull. As Jon slides back into the line Will R. pours an ice cold dousing bottle over his back and gives him a pat on the back. Mike rolls up from behind with 12 bottles and 5 ice socks from the car, just in time as we all take a last swig from our bottles. The swig tastes like fermented tea rather then Gatorade. In just 20 minutes between feeds, the once ice cold water in our bottles is well above 70 degrees. Mike hands out the bottles to everyone – the freezing water is shocking to the system but feels amazing. Will D. pulls off and slips seamlessly behind Mike as Will R. comes to the front to bury himself. For 200 km this continues. You can feel your skin burning. Your bike becomes heavy as the rubber compound on the tires melts to the road surface. We don’t talk much but everyone knows the goal. With 3km to go the team drops me off – their work is done. The break has been pulled back and the final sprint for the line will begin. All I have to do is follow wheels to the line and finish in the main bunch for the same time. Today was a little different though. Rather then just finish safe, I wanted to pay back my teammates for the hard work they had done all day. So, when the 400 meter sign appeared I gave it all I had. It wasn’t enough to win but I did manage to squeak in for second, collecting a valuable 6 second time bonus and increasing our hold on the golden fleece. Everyone felt the work of the day but we couldn’t help but smile – one day closer to the finish and another podium in the bag.

Day 5: Seven riders made it up the road before we were able to shut down the attacks. We knew it was going to be a tough job for just four guys to bring them back but we set to work just the same. I lined myself up once again behind my teammates, protected and safe at the front of the field. All day long we pulled but with 40km left to go the time gap was still 3 minutes and no teams were willing to help us (at this point other teams usually come to the front to protect their GC leaders, as well as sprinter teams looking to get their sprinter to line for a victory). Instead, the field sat on as we struggled to close the gap. All of my teammates rode themselves inside out, closing the gap and inching me closer to the line. With 20 km to go, I had to start helping and covering attacks as the field tried to break us. When it was all said and done, we finished a heart-break 50 seconds down and I moved back to 4th place on GC, 19 sec down.

Day 6: We knew it was going to be hard to come back from yesterday’s loss. Everyone on the team spent 100% the day before trying to protect the jersey. I have never seen five guys ride their hearts out like my teammates had done the day before. We had spend the evening after the stage in ice baths, recovering as best we knew how - we weren’t going to lay down and give up the last day. The final stage was 190km and another scorcher (Jon’s SRM read a temp of 47 degrees C!!) we knew that the yellow jersey wearer was strong but his team would suffer.

For the first 110km of the race, attack after attack went until the field was splintered into pieces. At this point everyone racing was so overheated that we had to ease off. Almost unbelievably the field reunited and the yellow jersey’s team came back to the front to pull. We knew that if we let them pull, by the 160km mark we could hit them again and this time for good. So we waited patiently and stayed hydrated. Sure enough with 35 km left in the race we could see them hurting, so we hit out. First, Mike attacked and the yellow jersey quickly followed. Then, Will leaped forward, only to be chased down a few minutes later. After about 5 of these attacks, I gave an all out dig up the left hand side of the road. I looked back and saw 9 guys on my wheel – the yellow jersey was still in the field unable to respond this time. I put my head down and set to work, trying to motivate the other riders in the break to work as well. The gap quickly swelled to 1:15, but with 20km left I knew it wasn’t over yet. I quickly analyzed my breakaway companions to see who was there. A couple of strong riders had made the move including the Kazak sitting 3rd on GC. I couldn’t drag this guy to the line or he would win the overall while I would finish second, but I could see the pain on his face from the days work so I continued to pull through in the break and keep the other riders doing the same. With 10km to go, the gap was down to 55 seconds. I was nervous and unsure if we would hold the 19sec I needed at the finish to win the race, so I began pulling through with everything I had. For 5 km, I suffered like I have never suffered before and to my amazement when I looked back again the gap was up to 1:25 and the Kazak rider had been dropped. Now it was a do or die effort. Everything from the week, all the hard work my team put in, was coming down to the final 5km of the race. I threw up twice in those 5km. I was so hot I lost track of how hard I was going. It felt like my head was inside of a microwave ready to explode. I kept the pace as high as I could manage – goose bumps were forming on my arms and everything felt numb. With 400 meters left, my group sprinted to the line. I had nothing left to give in the sprint but I didn’t care about the stage win. As soon as I crossed the line I started counting the seconds, but I was so delirious I couldn’t even keep track of the numbers. Then I saw my director. He had a huge smile on his face and a thumbs up. I knew we had done it but I couldn’t believe it. I don’t think it really sunk in until that night when the team was singing karaoke and toasting the win.

Day 8: An easy spin that morning before we boarded the plane for the States. Already our minds were wandering to the next race only 9 days away. The team rode with style, purpose and power at Tour of Thailand and everyone played a role in that victory. For now, I need to get a little rest before we head to Korea next week for another battle.