Peloton caught up with Team Jelly Belly Cycling Team at their training camp in San Diego to talk with rider Brad Huff about the 2011 season.  Here’s what Brad had to share with us:

How is the team camp going, what have you guys been up to?
It has been a jam-packed last few days with two big rides, media training, spending time with sponsors, and multiple photos shoots. So it’s been just busy, busy, busy and exciting the whole time.

How do you feel about your team this year? How are things shaping up?
It’s shaping up quite well. We have few returning veterans to the team. We have 6-7 new younger riders. One sprinter, Ken Hansen, coming over from Team Type 1 and then one new Australian and one new Canadian. So the team has a lot of experience to teach the younger riders and it’s really exciting because you can see through their abilities and our interactions with them that they are really open. So I think it’s going to be a really bonded team this year. I think we are really going to be sticking together and really be a force as a team instead of as individuals.

But speaking of individual, what are some of your individual goals this year?
As always, being a sprinter, and American sprinter, I want to do well at the criterium national championships. But then also make the Tour of California team. We have three strong sprinters on this team this year so we are all going to be vying for a spot on the TOC team this year. So that will be one of my early goals that I’m really going to be going for.

In preparing for this interview, I was directed to bradhuffcycling.com and it took me to an Italian gambling web site – is this your side business?

Yah, I didn’t know that. Hopefully I’ll get some royalties from that at some point. No I have a blog at www.bradhuff.missingsaddle.com and you can keep up with me there.

What was your first bike? What are you riding now?
I think it might have been a Murray 20 inch bike. But I’ve had so many bikes throughout the years. From BMX bikes to mountain bikes to track bikes to road bikes. I guess you could say my first bike was a big wheeler. I tore the seat off and would jump it and did the one-foot shuffle skateboard style.

In terms of what I’m riding now…the team is on the sturdiest bike I think I’ve ever been on – Focus. Focus frames, Kenda tires, Speedplay pedals, DT Swiss Wheels, SRAM components, Fizik saddles, and 3T seat posts, stems, handlebars, and forks. I am really happy with everything. I’ve ridden a lot of frames like I said throughout the years and Focus bikes are really indestructible. I’m really hard on parts and the frames are tried and true and I am really excited about riding them for the second year.

If you weren’t racing bikes what would you be doing with your life?
Wow, I don’t know.  Well with my genetics I could be a farmer in no time. I’ve got farm kid genetics. But I don’t really know where my life would have gone if I had not become a cyclist. For so long I’ve patterned my life toward cycling. You know I’ve told people I was majoring in cycling when I was in college so I don’t really know where I would be without it.

To follow Team Jelly Belly this season, visit: www.jellybellycycling.com

2011 Jelly Belly Team
Cameron Cogburn (USA)
William Dickeson (AUS)
Alex Hagman (USA)
Nic Hamilton (CAN)
Ken Hanson (USA)
Sergio Hernandez (USA)
Charles Huff (USA)
Alastair Loutit (AUS)
Sean Mazich (USA)
Carson Miller (USA)
Emerson Oronte (USA)
Jeremy Powers (USA)
Bernard Van Ulden (USA)