The Jelly Belly Cycling Team shined this year at the 2008 Jayco-Herald Sun Tour in Australia. The 57th Annual race was seven days long – including the prologue – and lead riders through more than 575km of Victoria’s rolling hills, forests and prairies.
At the beginning of the Tour in Traralgon, Jelly Belly claimed a team of seven. But after three days in the saddle, only four riders remained: Nick Reistad, Nic Sanderson, Brad Huff and Bernard Van Ulden. However, as their results show, these four riders worked as a team and proved that small numbers don’t matter when the raw talent exists.
Two of those four riders, Nic Sanderson and Brad Buff, ended the final stage in the top ten after giving equally excellent performances earlier in the week.
Being late in the year, this race pushed the riders to find their inner beast.
“I noticed that I dug a hole in my level of energy much faster than normal,” Huff admitted. “But I was able to handle the constant pace thanks to a good solid season.”
Huff knows that personal results often say more about actual performance than statistics.
“I am happy that I have had one of my best seasons since I turned professional in 2006,” Huff said. “Although my results did not show it, I rose far above my expectations this season.”
Bernard Van Ulden can no longer keep his climbing abilities a secret after winning the KOM jersey on Stage One of the Tour.
“I’ve definitely learned something about myself and what kind of training I respond best to,” Van Ulden said. “As a result, for the first time in my life I stayed with the leaders all the way to the top of an enormous hill. That first time experience was really something special.
“Riders have been telling me for years that if I could just figure out that whole climbing thing then I could really do some damage. Well, hopefully I finally have.”
One of the Jelly Belly Team sponsors, the team’s outfitter Champion System, also sponsored the Sun Tour this year. Along with another team sponsor, GT, which provides the teams colorful bikes, more Jelly Belly fans were made at the race expo. These sponsors helped spread the joy that is Jelly Belly by handing out samples and team post cards.
To stay updated on the Team’s progress when it travels to China in November, be sure to come back and visit its Web site at www.jellybellycycling.com.

Molly Saunders
PR Jelly Belly Cycling Team