July 17, 2009 – There is lots of pro road racing going on in all corners of the globe besides the Tour de France, and Canadian Will Routley (Jelly Belly) will be on scene in China with team mates Phil Gaimon, Kiel Reijnen, Nick Reistad, Matty Rice and Jeremy Powers to compete in the Tour of Qinghai Lakes, which begins July 17th. This 10-day race consists of multiple mountainous stages. Because the terrain and elevation differ greatly from what the Jelly Belly Cyclists are used to on long stage races, some serious preparation has been going on.

“The main thing I’ve been focusing on in the last few weeks is putting in long days and adding long climbs to simulate days we will have in China,” said Will Routley. “I’m also using a portable altitude simulator to try to start adapting to the altitude before we get there.”

Not only are the riders preparing for the terrain, they are also thinking ahead to the teams that will be joining them on the road.

“This race has many very strong riders and teams,” Routley explained. “It is interesting to see several big stars of the Tour de France from the past few years who are now on smaller teams and will be racing in China, guys like Danilo Hondo and Leon Von Bon, for example.”

Other than Sport Beans, the fans in the region are sure to give the boys a boost up those hills.

“The fans are amazing there,” Reijnen said. “There are so many of them and they are so excited to be watching. They are also very curious as many of them haven’t seen bike racing before.”

“The fans are great,” added Reistad. “They are always very enthusiastic and encouraging.”

This will be the first race in China for Gaimon and Routley.

“I don’t know what they’re like in China, but in general fans and crowds are awesome. The more they yell and cheer, the harder you can go,” Gaimon said.

Routley couldn’t agree more.

“Every bit of extra motivation one can derive from a cheering fan only helps to fuel the fire.”
back to South America for another major UCI event,” says performance director Jonas Carney. “We have had great success this year racing internationally and despite our team of all U23 riders, there is no doubt that they will be contenders in this race.”

While KBS travels to South America, Routley is heading to China with Jelly Belly Pro Cycling team mates Phil Gaimon, Kiel Reijnen, Nick Reistad, Matty Rice and Jeremy Powers to compete in the Tour of Qinghai Lakes, which begins July 17th. This 10-day race consists of multiple mountainous stages. Because the terrain and elevation differ greatly from what the Jelly Belly Cyclists are used to on long stage races, some serious preparation has been going on.

“The main thing I’ve been focusing on in the last few weeks is putting in long days and adding long climbs to simulate days we will have in China,” said Will Routley. “I’m also using a portable altitude simulator to try to start adapting to the altitude before we get there.”

Not only are the riders preparing for the terrain, they are also thinking ahead to the teams that will be joining them on the road.

“This race has many very strong riders and teams,” Routley explained. “It is interesting to see several big stars of the Tour de France from the past few years who are now on smaller teams and will be racing in China, guys like Danilo Hondo and Leon Von Bon, for example.”

Other than Sport Beans, the fans in the region are sure to give the boys a boost up those hills.

“The fans are amazing there,” Reijnen said. “There are so many of them and they are so excited to be watching. They are also very curious as many of them haven’t seen bike racing before.”

“The fans are great,” added Reistad. “They are always very enthusiastic and encouraging.”

This will be the first race in China for Gaimon and Routley.

“I don’t know what they’re like in China, but in general fans and crowds are awesome. The more they yell and cheer, the harder you can go,” Gaimon said.

Routley couldn’t agree more.

“Every bit of extra motivation one can derive from a cheering fan only helps to fuel the fire.”