The Jelly Belly presented by Kenda Pro Cycling Team's Focus Izalco bikes looked camouflage next to the heavily decorated jelly bean bus. What are the benefits of having a candy company as a sponsor? Well, you get a lot of free candy; but more importantly you become one of the fan favorites in the race. Jelly Belly p/b Kenda was cheered on nearly as much as any of the superstar European teams.

When the riders are burning between 3,500-4,500 calories every stage, it's critical they eat a lot. The Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling presented by Gear Grinder Team's feedbag had an assortment of treats for the riders to get through the day. Two Enervit bars, an Enervit Pre Sport, two GU gels, GU Chomps, a Clif Bar, Sport Beans, a 5-Hour Energy, and two bottles of carbohydrate replacement mix totaled more than 1,000 calories. Riders would be handed their feedbags, or mussettes, in the feedzone which was usually placed mid-way through the stage.

Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth rider Alex Candelario used Mavic's Cosmic CC80 tubular wheels for the final stage. The 80mm deep wheels feature a wider rim profile than the current Cosmic rims, but are not available to the public. If/when they are, you can bet they will be popular sellers. Unfortunately, Alex flatted the rear wheel mid-way through the stage, and went on to finish in 13th place.

 

Team SpiderTech powered by C10's director Steve Bauer is one of the most accomplished riders out of anyone at the Amgen Tour of California. Bauer has ridden in 11 Tours de France, finishing in fourth place in 1988 after winning the first stage and wearing the yellow jersey for five days. In the 1990 Tour while riding for 7-Eleven, Bauer wore the yellow jersey for nine days. He was giving former semi-pro hockey player Kevin Lacombe last minute advice before the stage start. It must have been good advice; Kevin sprinted to a fifth place finish in Thousand Oaks. 

Matthew Busche was the break through rider of this year's Amgen Tour of California. During the races' two mountain-top finishes, Matthew set a pace that only teammates Horner and Leipheimer could follow. In only his second year as a pro, Matthew is making a name for himself in the U.S. as well as abroad. Coming from a running background in college, Matthew has quickly moved through the cycling ranks. He spent half a season on Kelly Benefit Strategies before making the jump to RadioShack in 2010 after a string of strong results, including a fifth place at USPRO road race and a top-5 overall at Tour of Utah. He may have just earned himself a trip to France in July.