Many teams in the Tour of Missouri have said they believe the individual time trial is the most critical stage influencing the overall standings. It was in this stage, however, which Bernard Van Ulden of Jelly Belly landed in the 24th spot at the end of Wednesday.
Stage Three of the Tour led riders through 18 miles of tough, hilly terrain around Branson, Mo. It is said to be a very difficult time trial by many cyclists, so even when everything goes as planned, winning the stage is not always the outcome.
“The weather was fine, and I didn’t have any problems,” Van Ulden said. “I’ve raced this course before so I knew what to expect. It’s just a matter of how fast you can go and I just didn’t go fast enough,” he added.
Most time trials can be paced, where individual cyclists eventually find their own rhythm along the course. This time trial was definitely not one of those courses.
“There really were no stretches where you could sustain a good pace long enough to get up to great speeds,” Van Ulden said. “There are so many hills and this just isn’t a course that really suits me.”
Branson is not only known for its hilly landscape, though. This popular tourist destination proved to be the perfect place for fans to cheer on their favorite riders.
“Brad Huff definitely had his posse out there today,” Van Ulden said. “But there were people all over the course. Especially climbing up the hill to the finish, it was pretty cool, actually.
“The fans really make you dig deeper sometimes, and they really make you feel better and forget about the pain for a little bit.”
But sometimes, it doesn’t matter how many fans line the roads.
“It is definitely the most difficult time trial I’ve ever done and I hope next year they change it.”
Stage Four, from Lebanon to Rolla, is alleged to be very difficult, with the steepest hills of the entire Tour. But Van Ulden said he’s not worried.
“I bet there will be an early break and throughout the day and closer to the finish Columbia will reel them in for a field sprint,” he said. “And we want a field sprint because we have faith in Brad and his abilities to win a stage here at the Tour.”
Molly Saunders