Amgen Tour of California

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

Race: Tour of California, Stage 1

Start/Finish: Sacramento/Sacramento, California, USA

Distance: 104.1 miles/167.5 kilometers

Sacramento, California —Team Novo Nordisk’s Charles Planet raced more than 100 miles off the front as part of a four-man breakaway on the opening stage of the Tour of California.

Immediately following the neutral start, Planet attacked and three riders grabbed his wheel. The quartet quickly built a gap of around two minutes, but the peloton never allowed them to gain much more time. Halfway into the 167.5-kilometer stage, the peloton nearly reeled them in due to crosswinds and the formation of echelons. Once everything calmed down, the gap went back out to 1:25. Inside the final 20 kilometers, escapee Ben Wolfe (Jelly Belly presented by Maxxis) attacked and earned a gap of 20 seconds but the break came back together as it approached the finishing laps around downtown Sacramento. In the end, the escapees were caught on the final laps, and the race came down to a bunch sprint with Marcel Kittel (Quick Step-Floors) taking the win. Andrea Peron finished as Team Novo Nordisk’s best-placed rider.

Charles Planet

“My goal was to get in the breakaway from the start, so I was the first rider to attack from kilometer zero. It was a really hard day with lots of crosswinds. There were only four of us, but we worked well together. It was fast the whole time and I had a higher wattage than I expected today. I was proud to show off our jersey in the front on such a beautiful stage. I’m a little disappointed that I missed out on the Most Courageous Jersey today so I plan to try again and get the jersey on another stage.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Amgen Tour of California on Monday with an 89.8-mile (144.5 kilometers) stage that begins in Modesto. Stage 2 will play a roll in the overall general classification with five categorized climbs before an uphill kicker into the Santa Clara Motorcycle Park in San Jose.

Gallery:

Results:

• 1st: Marcel Kittel (Quick Step-Floors): 3:45:35
• 2nd: Peter Sagan (BORA-Hansgrohe): Same time as Kittel
• 3rd: Elia Viviani (Team Sky): same time as Kittel

Team Novo Nordisk Results:

• Andrea Peron: 50th: 0:04 behind Kittel
• Martijn Verschoor: 68th: 0:04 behind Kittel
•  Javier Megias: 74th: 0:04 behind Kittel
•  Joonas Henttala: 99th: 0:04 behind Kittel
• David Lozano: 104th: 0:04 behind Kittel
• Chris Williams: 119th: 0:59 behind Kittel
• Charles Planet: 131st: 2:24 behind Kittel
• Romain Gioux: 132nd: 2:30 behind Kittel

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

Race: Tour of California, stage 2

Start/Finish: Modesto/San Jose, California, USA

Distance: 88 miles/143km

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA — Stage two of the Tour of California started in sunny Modesto and moved out over the empty and oaken hills of the South Bay, finishing a day of hard climbing and tricky descents into the foothills of Silicon Valley.

For more than an hour the peloton fought for the breakaway, with the fresh memory of two years prior on the same stage and an unexpected victory that came from the escape. This year the teams held no interest in allowing such a repeat, and only when the race began to climb did a group of six riders get away.

Team Novo Nordisk came together to protect leader Javier Megias and put the Spanish rider at the front for the first three climbs. On the fourth ascent of the day, an out-of-category 7km summit up Mt. Hamilton, Megias kept with the leaders. Only on the technical descent did the race separate further.

Polish rider Rafal Majka attacked on the final climb and won from a small finishing group ahead of New Zealand’s George Bennett and American Ian Boswell. Megias finished in an elite group further back and remains in contention for a top result in the remaining six stages as the Tour of California continues down into Southern California.

Team Novo Nordisk Director Lionel Marie

“The breakaway took 90 minutes to start, because this is a Pro Tour race and the guys here are flying. Javi was 20 seconds behind the leaders on Hamilton, but the descent was so tricky that he never saw the front again, so now our job every day is to go in the break and be actors in this race.”

Javier Megias

“The plan is to go in the breakaway every day, that’s our big chance here. Today was really technical and dangerous on the descent after the last climb, with a lot of U-turns and tight curves. Quick Step was pulling really hard, and then on the climb Lotto Jumbo set a really high pace. In the next days we’ll have another chance to go in a breakaway, and I’ll do what I can to go for the victory.”

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Rafal Majka (BORA-Hansgrohe): 3:43:46
• 2^nd: George Bennett (Team LottoNL-Jumbo): st
• 3^rd: Ian Boswell (Team Sky): 0:07 back

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Javier Megias: 26^th: 4:36 back
• Charles Planet: 57^th: 17:45 back
• David Lozano: 59^th: st
• Andrea Peron: 63^rd: st
• Chris Williams: 96^th: 20:46 back
• Martijn Verschoor: 116^th: st
• Joonas Henttala: 113^th: st
• Romain Gioux: 112^th: st

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

Race: Tour of California, Stage 3

Start/Finish: Pismo Beach/Morro Bay, California, USA

Distance: 119.6 miles/192.5 kilometers

MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA — Stage 3 of the Tour of California served as the longest day of the six-day American stage race, and Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano was determined to leave his mark. Following the neutral start, Ben Wolfe (Jelly Belly presented by Maxxis) attacked, and Lozano was the first to grab his wheel.

Three additional riders followed the move rounding out the breakaway to five. The escapees worked well together and quickly built a gap of more than five minutes despite strong winds.

On 192.5-kilometer stage, Lozano was third through the first intermediate sprint and heading up the day’s only categorized climb, he attacked and took top honors. He held his gap and soloed down the descent before being reabsorbed by the breakaway. Through the second intermediate sprint, the 28-year-old Spaniard grabbed third again.

As the race approached the finish in the coastal town of Morro Bay, Wolfe attacked the break and set off solo. He was eventually reeled in before a technical finish with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) taking the win.

Team Novo Nordisk Director Lionel Marie

“We knew we had to get into the break and David did it. For our team, being off the front and showing our jersey is one of our top priorities. It got very narrow in the final 40 kilometers, and our riders organized well around Martijn with 10 kilometers to go. The World Champion won today so you can see how technical and challenging this finish was. Tomorrow’s plan is the same: breakaway.”

David Lozano

“We missed the break yesterday, so today’s first goal was to be in the break. When my group went, immediately we worked really well together and the peloton let us go. With 500 meters to go to the summit of the KOM, I attacked so I could get the points and then I took the downhill solo. They caught me at the bottom. If I can, I aim to get in the break again and get more points for the KOM jersey.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Tour of California on Wednesday with Stage 4. The 99.1 mile (159.5 kilometers) stage begins in Santa Barbara and features four categorized climbs and two intermediate sprints before a long uphill drag into Santa Clarita.

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Peter Sagan (BORA-Hansgrohe): 4:53:26
• 2^nd: Rick Zabel (Team Katusha-Alpecin): same time as Sagan
• 3^rd: Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates): same time as Sagan

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Martijn Verschoor: 26^th: 0:03 behind Sagan
• Andrea Peron: 57^th: 0:03 behind Sagan
• Javier Megias: 70^th: 0:03 behind Sagan
• David Lozano: 72^nd: 0:03 behind Sagan
• Joonas Henttala: 78^th: 0:03 behind Sagan
• Charles Planet: 81^st: 0:03 behind Sagan
• Romain Gioux: 82^nd: 0:03 behind Sagan
• Chris Williams: 91^st: 0:03 behind Sagan

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

Race: Tour of California, Stage 4

Start/Finish: Santa Barbara/Santa Clarita, California, USA

Distance: 99.1 miles/159.5 kilometers

Santa Clarita, CALIFORNIA — Stage 4 of the Tour of California featured a lump profile complete with four categorized climbs before an uphill run into Santa Clarita.

Team Novo Nordisk lined up at the front of the peloton from the start and battled to make the day’s main breakaway but luck wasn’t on their side, and when a six-man break escaped, no Team Novo Nordisk riders were present.

Thanks to a strong tailwind for most of the 159.5-kilometer stage, the breakaway earned an impressive gap of nine minutes. The escapees worked well together while the sprinter’s teams delayed taking control and chasing them down. This meant the break just barely stayed clear until the finish. Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling) took the win ahead of his teammate Rob Britton while Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) led in a reduced peloton 13 seconds later.

Team Novo Nordisk Director Lionel Marie

“It was an interesting day with lots of climbing and some technical, high-speed descents. None of the teams wanted to help Bora-Hansgrohe reel back the break, so the gap failed to come down. Once the race was on the final descent, the peloton finally increased its speed and this caused many fractures in the group. Charles (Planet), Javier (Megias) and Joonas (Henttala) were all up there, but the speed proved too much for some of our riders. I was impressed with how Charles rode today; he is definitely developing as a rider.

Charles Planet

“It was really fast all day. Javi and I both tried to make the break, but we missed it. Then it was a full-gas because the break was allowed nine minutes. With 50 kilometers to go and due to the pace and wind, the peloton split. I did my best to stay at the front and I tried my chance in the finish. I’m not a pure sprinter, so it was hard for me. I feel like I did my job as well as I could. Tomorrow is the Queen Stage and it is designed for a true climber, so I don’t think it’ll be the day for me. I’m looking ahead and aiming to make the break again before the end of the week.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Tour of California on Thursday with Stage 5. The 78.0-mile (127.0 kilometers) stage begins at the Ontario Convention Center and includes two categorized climbs before a summit finish up Mt. Baldy.

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling): 3:41:52
• 2^nd: Rob Britton (Rally Cycling): same time as Huffman
• 3^rd: Lennard Hofstede (Team Sunweb): same time as Huffman

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Charles Planet: 31^st: 0:13 behind Huffman
• Joonas Henttala: 54^th: 1:43 behind Huffman
• Javier Megias: 55^th: 1:43 behind Huffman
• Chris Williams: 104^th: 11:53 behind Huffman
• Romain Gioux: 106^th: 11:53 behind Huffman
• Andrea Peron: 107^th: 11:53 behind Huffman
• Martijn Verschoor: 115^th: 11:53 behind Huffman
• David Lozano: 116^th: 11:53 behind Huffman

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

Race: Tour of California, Stage 5

Start/Finish: Ontario/Mount Baldy, California, USA

Distance: 78 miles/125.5 kilometers

Mount Baldy, California –  Thursday’s Stage 5 of the Tour of California served as the race’s Queen Stage and lived up to its billing. The 125.5-kilometer stage saw Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano make an early breakaway that featured nearly two dozen riders. As the race headed up the first categorized climb of the day, the break splintered. Lozano experienced a flat tire and along with numerous other breakaway companions found himself back in the chase group.

As the race passed through the intermediate sprint in Glendora, the 14-man breakaway had approximately 3:20 over the chase. From that point forward, it was continuously uphill until the finish on Mount Baldy. Rob Britton (Rally Cycling) attacked the breakaway and remained off the front solo until the final 10 kilometers when an elite front group chased him down.

As the gradients increased, current race leader Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe), Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac), George Bennett (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) and Ian Boswell (Team Sky) battled it out on the final switchbacks up Mount Baldy. The race came down to a sprint battle between Talansky and Majka with the Cannondale-Drapac rider taking the win. Javier Megias finished as Team Novo Nordisk’s best-placed rider in 32^nd position.

Javier Megias

“The objective today was to put me in the break, but I missed it. David made it, but then he got a flat, so I tried to stay with the top guys in the chase for as long as I could. The descent was crazy, and we did what we could for the final. There’s still a time trial and a good race for us on Saturday. The final stage is harder than most people think. We’ll try our best and see how we feel.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Tour of California on Friday with Stage 6. The 14.9-mile (24-kilometer) race against the clock takes place around the stunning water edges of Big Bear Lake. The individual time trial takes place on a flat course.

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac): 3:43:15
• 2^nd: Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe): same time as Talansky
• 3^rd: George Bennett (Team LottoNL-Jumbo): 0:02 behind Talansky

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Javier Megias: 32^nd: 8:27 behind Talansky
• Joonas Henttala: 57^th: 21:16 behind Talansky
• Charles Planet: 58^th: 21:16 behind Talansky
• David Lozano: 84^th: 25:25 behind Talansky
• Romain Gioux: 85^th: 25:25 behind Talansky
• Chris Williams: 122^nd: 26:47 behind Talansky
• Andrea Peron: DNF
• Martijn Verschoor: DNF

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

Race: Tour of California, Stage 6

Start/Finish: Big Bear Lake/Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Distance: 14.9 miles (24 kilometers)

Big Bear Lake, California — Friday’s individual time trial took place around the stunning edges of Big Bear Lake with a 24-kilometer out-and-back course. The riders tackled the completely flat course under clear skies. Located above 2,000 meters, altitude played a role in the day’s race. Jonathan Dibben (Team Sky) laid down the fastest time in 28:27. Javier Megias was Team Novo Nordisk’s fastest rider, finishing 3:06 behind Dibben. After finishing fourth on the day, George Bennett (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) moved into the overall race lead.

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

“I followed Charles [Planet] today and I was impressed with his progression since Sarthe [French race in April]. That was the first time trial that I’ve worked with him and he has learned a lot since then. Today, he had nice position, looked comfortable on the bike and I felt used the right gearing throughout the stage. He’s improving very well and fast. Looking towards tomorrow, it’ll be a fast stage from the start since it is downhill. I’m hoping we finish this race how we started—with a rider in the break.”

Charles Planet

“The time trial definitely isn’t my specialty, so my goal was to enjoy my time trial bike and work on maintaining my pace throughout the day. I worked to have a high cadence and steady pace so I could recover for the final stage tomorrow. I’m tired at this point, but everyone is tired. Tomorrow is the last stage, but I feel I still have something to give.”

Team Novo Nordisk finishes racing at the Amgen Tour of California on Saturday with the final stage. Stage 7 is a 77-mile (124-kilometer) race from Mountain High Ski Resort down to Pasadena. It features three categorized climbs before a downhill run into the heart of Pasadena.

Galley:

Results: 

• 1^st: Jonathan Dibben (Team Sky): 28:27
• 2^nd: Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing Team): 0:07 behind Dibben
• 3^rd: Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac): 0:16 behind Dibben

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Javier Megias: 85^th: 3:06 behind Dibben
• Joonas Henttala: 95^th: 3:15 behind Dibben
• Charles Planet: 101^st: 3:20 behind Dibben
• Chris Williams: 112^th: 3:54 behind Dibben
• David Lozano: 114^th: 4:07 behind Dibben
• Romain Gioux: 122^nd: 5:00 behind Dibben

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

(Photos: ©VeloImages)

Race: Tour of California, Stage 7

Start/Finish: Mountain High/Pasadena California, USA

Distance: 77 mile (124 kilometers)

Pasadena, California — On the final stage of the Tour of California, Team Novo Nordisk’s Joonas Henttala featured in an early breakaway on the extremely fast 124-kilometer race.

Saturday’s stage began from Mountain High Ski Resort with an early high-speed technical descent before several categorized climbs. Following a brief neutralization of the descent, Henttala and Jonny Clark (United Healthcare Pro Cycling) attacked off the front of the race. Initially, two riders bridged up but by the first intermediate sprint, Henttala’s group had grown to seven riders. Henttala was runner-up through the sprint but his group never earned a gap of more than 30 seconds. As the race started up the first categorized climb, Henttala’s group was caught and a new group emerged. This five-man breakaway built a gap of around a minute and held its gap as they reached the finishing circuit around downtown Pasadena. In the end, the breakaway foiled the chasing peloton with Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling) taking the win. A splintered peloton came in 22 seconds behind. George Bennett (Team Lotto NL-Jumbo) took the overall race win.

Joonas Henttala

“Today was a bit of a gamble. We didn’t know if the break would be allowed to go or if the peloton would go full gas for the entire stage. It was a really fast downhill start, and it was dangerous so it ended up neutralized. When we reached the bottom, there were attacks and I chased and made the first one. We went full gas for the first half an hour. We thought the peloton would let us go after the intermediate sprint but the gap never went up. When we reached the base of the first climb, the leader’s attacked and that was the end for my group.”

Team Novo Nordisk returns to racing on May 26^th with the two-day Tour of Estonia.

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling): 2:37:28
• 2^nd: David Lopez (Team Sky): same time as Huffman
• 3^rd: Nicolas Edet (Cofidis Solutions Credits): same time as Huffman

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• David Lozano: 53^rd: 0:59 behind Huffman
• Javier Megias: 72^nd: 1:07 behind Huffman
• Joonas Henttala: 92^nd: 11:39 behind Huffman
• Romain Gioux: 95^th: 11:39 behind Huffman
• Chris Williams: 97^th: 11:39 behind Huffman
• Charles Planet: 108^th: 11:39 behind Huffman

(Photos: ©VeloImages)