Henttala Notches Career Best at Volta Rio Grande do Sul Opener

Race: Volta Ciclística Internacional do Rio Grande do Sul

Start/Finish: Novo Hamburgo/ São Francisco de Paula, Brazil

Distance: 152 kilometers

São Francisco de Paula, Brazil —Team Novo Nordisk’s Joonas Henttala earned his best result with the team when he sprinted to seventh place on Wednesday’s Stage 1 of the Volta Ciclística Internacional do Rio Grande do Sul. 

The Volta Ciclística Internacional do Rio Grande do Sul opener was a hot and humid start to the five-day Brazilian stage race. Stage 1 saw many breakaway attempts with Team Novo Nordisk present in most of them over the 152-kilometer course. The final breakaway featured three local riders that stayed away until the finish in São Francisco de Paula. Henttala finished seventh overall and was the first non-Brazilian to cross the finish.

“Our tactic was to control the breakaways and save Joonas and Andrea (Peron) for the climb,” Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Pavel Cherkasov said. “Joonas’ focus is the overall and everything unfolded as we had planned. Joonas made it to the reduced finish group and he did a great job driving the front of that chase in the final kilometers over the cobble section.”

Results: 

• 1^st: Murilo Affonso (Funvic Soul Cycles – Carrefour)
• 2^nd: Kleber Ramos (Funvic Soul Cycles – Carrefour): same time as Affonso
• 3^rd: Alan Maniezzo: same time as Affonso

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Joonas Henttala: 7^th: 1:38 behind Affonso
• Corentin Cherhal: 37^th: 7:28 behind Affonso
• Gerd de Keijzer: 44^th: 11:19 behind Affonso
• Chris Williams: 72^nd: 21:43 behind Affonso
• Andrea Peron: 73^rd: 21:43 behind Affonso
• James Glasspool: 77^th: 22:12 behind Affonso

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