Jelly Belly p/b Kenda rode through its 12th season in the professional ranks this year, picking up 24 victories and more than 100 top-ten finishes, and participated in dozens of events off the bike to promote the sport and the team sponsors.In 2011, the team raced in eight countries — the U.S., Australia, Holland, South Korea, Belgium, Japan, Canada and China — in front of more than 5 million fans. Important victories include the Tour of White Rock, Nature Valley Grand Prix, Tour of Korea, Tulsa Tough and the Oceania Cycling Championships. Jelly Belly riders placed in the top ten in both the criterium and road national championships.

“We posted another strong season this year, even after some experienced riders moved on and we brought new, young talent on board,” said team director Danny Van Haute.

Van Haute welcomes back most of the 2011 roster next year, including eight-year team veteran Jeremy Powers and four-year team veteran sprinter Brad Huff. Sergio Hernandez and Sean Mazich will return for their third seasons, and 2011 neo-pros Alex Hagman, Nic Hamilton and Emerson Oronte will be back as well. Joining the organization in 2012 will be climber Scott Stewart from Team Type 1 and Ricardo van der Velde, plus two neo-pros Menso de Jong and Luis Enrique Davila.

“2012 is shaping up to be a great year for us,” said Hamilton, who won the overall at the Tour of White Rock. “We came a very long way this year in working as a cohesive team and we will carry that into 2012. I will certainly put more pressure on myself to win races now that I have my first year of learning the ropes under my belt.”

Added Huff: “2011 will go down as the year Jelly Belly pulled together as a unified machine to overcome difficulty and set the tone for years to come.”

Longtime riders Bernard van Ulden and Will Dickeson are both retiring from the team.

“Bernard and Will were big assets to the team,” Van Haute said. “They will be missed. The riders who replace them will have to fill some big shoes next year.”

Jelly Belly p/b Kenda riders and staff also embraced their roles as ambassadors for cycling by participating in charity rides, autograph sessions safety talks at schools and hospital visits throughout the year. The team counts more than 5,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter.

“I’m proud of all we have done, of the riders we have developed, and I look forward to another great year of racing in 2012,” Van Haute said.

Jelly Belly p/b Kenda put two riders in the top 10 overall at the Tour of Taihu to close out the 2011 season with a bang.

Brad Huff placed second in Stage 3 of the five-day race in China, and Ken Hanson took third in Stage 4. Huff ended up in sixth overall, and Hanson was seventh.

“This was a huge team effort to get Brad and Ken to the finish line to give them a chance to win a stage, and we came very close each day,” said team director Danny Van Haute.

The squad, which also included Nic Hamilton, Alastair Loutit, Will Dickeson and Bernard van Ulden, placed in the top 10 in four of the five stages.

“I have seen the team race like this before, but their consistency day after day was what impressed me,” Van Haute said. “It was a great week of racing to end the season.”