Jelly Belly p/b Kenda posted strong results at the Japan Cup to cap off the 2012 cycling season.
Brad Huff placed sixth in the Japan Cup criterium, and Luis Lemus took the best young rider jersey in the road race.
The pace was intense both days, team director Danny Van Haute said. In the criteruim, staged in front of 100,000 people in downtown Utsuomiya, Japan, Jelly Belly p/b Kenda had a rider in every breakaway. Lemus, Nic Hamilton and Alex Hagman put Huff in a good position for the final sprint, and he dug deep for a sixth-place finish.
The road race covered 150 kilometers on a 15-km loop, with two climbs every lap. The riders again hung with the race’s furious pace, with Lemus, Hamilton and Hagman all finishing in the top 30.
“I’m proud of everybody’s effort,” Van Haute. “This was a great showing for Jelly Belly p/b Kenda in Japan.”