The prologue of the Redlands Bicycle Classic wound through a 3.8 mile circuit, where the team showed early success. The flat course and sunny weather helped lead Carter Jones to 2nd, Kiel Reijnen to 3rd and Will Routley to 7th.
Stage One was another perfect California day, with very light winds and 70 degree sunshine. The whole team really put in the effort and rode like a team, bringing water to whomever needed it and sticking together for the hard hills. When Routley got a flat with 20km to go, John Chodroff came to the back to help get him back into the peloton. The final climb led the riders up to the finish, where every single team was attacking. Reijnen attacked and was pulled back quickly and Routley attacked immediately after him. All the Team’s effort paid off when Routley crossed the finish line in first place at the end of the stage! This meant Jelly Belly p/b Kenda ended the first stage with three riders in the top five of the GC.
Stage Two was a 90 minute criterium, which meant the Team just had to watch out for the other teams and set up Mike Friedman and Brad Huff for the sprint. Thanks to hard riding and more great teamwork Friedman ended in 4th and Huff ended in 13th.
Stage Three’s Road Race also allowed the Team to showcase all their off-season hard work. Reijnen came in 5th while Jacob Rathe came in 7th. At the end of the race, Will Routley remained in 3rd in the GC, and Reijnen was 2nd in KOM.
“These are outstanding results for us to start the season with,” said Team Director Danny van Haute. “I knew we had a good chance to place well here and all the guys are motivated, not just for this race but for the whole year.”
-Molly Saunders
-Photo: Doug Earnest
