The second stage of the Tour gave competitors their first chance to ride over Missouri’s rolling hills and through its national forests. The day started in historic Ste. Genevieve and headed south over 112 miles to the river town of Cape Girardeau.
At the very beginning of the day a desperate solo attack was quickly reeled in by the pack, and Jelly Belly made a counter attack but was not able to stay away. Because the terrain was long rollers, an aggressive breakaway was expected early on.
“We planned to be in a break today since we missed one yesterday,” Reijnen said.
Although planning an attack takes a lot of physical effort, the mind has to be sharp as well.
“We were just paying really close attention to what was going on in front, and all trying to rotate just in case a few guys took off,” he explained.
Sure enough, Jelly Belly rider Kiel Reijnen answered the call after the KOM and hooked up with three other riders, Francois Perisien of Planet Energy, Tim Duggan of Garmin and Anthony Colby of Colavita/Sutter Home.
Colby wasn’t able to hang on, however, and the three-man group quickly gained a three minute gap over the pack. With hard work the breakaway’s gap grew to almost five minutes. Reijnen was visibly calculating his power meter as he took turns on the front.
“When you’re working with such a small group in a race, and being chased by such a powerful pack, you have to ride really, really hard for hours. You are probably pushing at least forty percent of your exertion rate the whole time, and that’s not even factoring in the head and crosswinds we had all day.”
An unfortunate mechanical issue forced him back into the peloton with only 20 miles to go, where he finished with the pack, disappointed but eager to tackle the next stage with the same vigor. Yet his incredible effort was awarded with the Best Young Rider jersey, which he will wear tomorrow during Stage Three.
For the third stage the Jelly Belly Team will work to conquer what race organizers are touting as the most difficult stage in the three year history of the Tour of Missouri. It begins in Farmington and includes more than 7,000 feet of climbing before finishing in the town of Rolla.
-Molly Saunders
PR Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team
