photo: Maria Nasif
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Ken Hanson, in his first year with Jelly Belly p/b Kenda, rode to a 7th place finish Monday in the USA Cycling Pro Championships road race.
Jelly Belly p/b Kenda was one of only three teams to bring a full squad of nine riders to the race.
“We had the numbers to win,” said team director Danny Van Haute.
The team’s plan was to put one or two riders in the breakaway and keep Bernard van Ulden, Sergio Hernandez, and Hanson fresh for the end of the race.
Cameron Cogburn made one breakaway that gained 50 seconds on the peloton but got caught after 4 miles. When another break got away, Cogburn and teammate Emerson Oronte worked with other teams to reel it in. By the final lap, four riders had built a big lead, so the race was for fifth place.
Hernandez, van Ulden and Hanson made it into the final selection of 26 riders. Hernandez and van Ulden rode hard to keep that group together so Hanson could sprint to the finish.
“The boys did a great job, and I see this success continuing for the rest of the year,” Van Haute said.
Jeremy Powers crashed and had to abandon the race. He is recovering from bruised ribs but no broken bones.
In the time trial on Saturday, Cogburn represented the team alone. The other riders decided to sit it out and stay fresh for the road race, but Cogburn was hungry for the experience. He placed 30th.
“Cameron is s strong young rider but has lots to learn about time trialing, and I have all the confidence that he will ride next year’s national time trial with better results,” Van Haute said.
Next up: the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship on Sunday.
