Stage Six of the Tour of Hainan had the most KOM climbs so far, with two category 2 climbs and one category 3 climb. It was 135km which began in Danzhou and ended Changjiang. Once again, tailwinds made this mountainous climbing stage incredibly fast-paced.
After Brad Huff’s awesome performance at the last few stages, Team Director Danny Van Haute said it was evident that he was not feeling up to par. At the first climb, which was a category 3, Huff came off the back with Matty Rice and about ten other riders. However, this group of riders was able to make the time limit in order to start Stage Seven.
In the peloton, Jelly Belly had Nick Reistad, Kiel Reijnen and Bernard Van Ulden. Young rider Kiel took 11th place, Nick took 29th and Bernard finished in 38th.“We have just two more days to go,” Van Haute said. “The biggest and longest day is tomorrow, with two CAT 2 climbs and 210km.” The eighth stage of the Tour of Hainan will end Team Jelly Belly’s 2008 cycling season.
Molly Saunders
PR Jelly Belly Cycling Team
