Team Novo Nordisk Set for Debut at International Rhodes Grand Prix & International Rhodes Tour

29 February 2020

Race: International Rhodes GP & International Rhodes Tour

Country: Rhodes – Greece

Total Distance: International Rhodes GP – 186.3km & International Rhodes Tour – 458.1 km

Race Class: International Rhodes GP – 1.2 & International Rhodes Tour – 2.2

Atlanta, GA – The world’s first all diabetes pro cycling team, Team Novo Nordisk, heads to Greece to make its first appearance on the ancient Hellenic shores at the one-day International Rhodes Grand Prix followed by the three-day International Rhodes Tour.

2020 marks the 14th edition of the Rhodes Tour, which was first held in 1987 before experiencing an on-off period through the 90s and early 2000s before returning as part of the UCI Europe Tour in 2017.

First up is the one-day Grand Prix covering 186.3 kilometers on Sunday, March 1st followed by Tour running between March 6-9th. The International Rhodes Tour will be a hilly three-day affair with a total elevation of 5,196 meters over 458 kilometers, making for a great hit-out for the team as this group of riders take the start line for their first races of the 2020 season.

“This is our first-time racing in Greece, and we would like to take this opportunity to show our fans what is possible with type 1 diabetes,” said Team Novo Nordisk Senior Vice President of Athletics Vassili Davidenko. “At our January training camp in Spain, we had a similar parcours, and despite it being the start of the season for our riders, we are confident that we are bringing a very competitive team to both the Rhodes Grand Prix and the Rhodes Tour.”

Italian Umberto Poli will line up alongside the experienced Hungarian Peter Kusztor with Australians Declan Irvine and Sam Munday, the French sprinter Mehdi Benhamouda, Dutchman Brian Kamstra and Irishman Stephen Clancy completing the seven-man team.

“We are aiming to ride strongly and achieve some good results,” continued Davidenko. “These ten days in Greece will make us stronger for future races around the corner. It will be a good starting point for these guys. The season has only just begun.”

The parcours for both races are full of rolling terrain and quite technical finales. At first glance could favor a versatile sprinter or the opportunist.