Charles Planet

Le Syndicat, Lorraine, France

Puncheur/General Classification

HEIGHT 179cm/5'9"

DOB 30-10-1993

AGE OF DIAGNOSIS 10

YEARS WITH TEAM 11

Eleven years in this team. It’s been a long journey full of adventures and after three extremely difficult years, I am extremely grateful to get such incredible support from everyone in the team and look forward to 2024, to continue driving change in diabetes around the world by riding my bike.

PROFILE

2024 marks Frenchman Charles Planets 11th season racing for Team Novo Nordisk and after climbing all the way up to the captain’s role the puncheur from Lorraine has faced a horrendously challenging three years, getting knocked down only for each time to get back up again, showing exactly why he is Charles Planet.

Planet suffered a near life ending crash in early 2022, spending most of the year making an arduous and admirable recovery. The Frenchman worked non stop to be back and fully focused on a bright 2023, however the obstacles were not completely cleared and after another crash and more broken bones, Planet had to fully reset in every sense of the word. All involved with Team Novo Nordisk hope 2024 is a trouble free year for one of our brightest.

Planet also endured a difficult 2021, suffering a period of health problems after a packed early season that included another breakaway appearance in Milan-Sanremo and a top ten at the Tour of Rhodes.

Multiple top tens throughout 2020 in races like Circuito de Getxo in Spain, Tour de Hongrie and Okolo Slovenska were augmented by an impressive 19th on a tough course at the French National Championships and he rounded out the season well at a brutal edition of Paris-Tours.

The Frenchman made team history at the Tour of Poland in 2019 by winning the Most Active Rider jersey on the opening stage of the WorldTour race and protecting it until the finish. This accomplishment serves as the team’s first WorldTour jersey.

Planet began his career in mountain biking and cyclocross but decided to try racing on the road when he heard about an all-diabetes professional cycling team. The 28-year-old from the Vosges region continues to develop into a promising and talented General Classification rider.

Along with an impressive display against WorldTour opposition at the Tour of Poland, Planet earned the Amgen Breakaway from Cancer ‘Most Courageous Rider’ jersey on Stage 1 of the Tour of California.

Additional 2019 highlights include starring in the breakaway at Milano-Sanremo, taking fourth on the Prologue and finishing seventh overall at the Tour of Estonia, 10th on the Queen Stage of the Tour of Denmark and eighth on Stage 3 of the Tour de Slovaquie.

Previous standout results include taking a podium finish at the Tour de Hongrie Prologue (2018), fifth on Stage 2 and eighth overall at the Tour of Estonia (2018), and top ten’s on Stage 1 of Canada’s Tour de Beauce (2015) and Stage 5 at the Tour de Korea (2016).

Planet’s father was a cyclist, so it was no surprise when the eight-year-old decided to start competing in mountain bike races. Two years later, Planet was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and initially, he thought his life was over. But his family helped him to resume a normal childhood that included sports. Planet, who is a former Lorraine mountain bike and cyclocross champion, was also part of the winning squad at the 2013 French National Mountain Bike Team Relay Championship.

In 2013, with an impressive resume in hand, Planet reached out to Team Novo Nordisk and said he’d be interested in switching to road racing. The team invited him to race as a stagiaire in America, where he won the Litespeed BMW Twilight Criterium in August and was ninth overall at the Georgia Cycling Grand Prix. It only took a month and a half before he was offered a contract with the professional team.

BEST PERFORMANCES

2020

7th – Circuito de Getxo-Memorial Hermanos Otxoa
9th – Okolo Slovenska/Tour de Slovaquie, Stage 2
11th – Tour de Hongrie, Stage 1

2019

7th – GC, Tour of Estonia
6th – Points GC, UAE Tour
16th, Japan Cup Cycle Road Race
16th, Mountain Classification, Tour de Pologne

2018

8th – GC, Tour of Estonia
2nd- Tour de Hongrie, Stage
16th, Japan Cup Cycle Road Race

Diabetes Q&A

Tell us about when you were diagnosed and how you found out.

I was 10 years old, and for some weeks I was very thirsty and needed to pee every five minutes. My parents were very worried, so they wanted to test my blood glucose. Later, the doctor confirmed that I was living with type 1 diabetes.

What was your initial reaction?

I remember that I didn’t quite understand what was happening. Nobody really explained what was going on.

My parents put me in the car and drove me to the hospital. And I remember they prepared a bag with some clothes, like we were going somewhere for a couple of days. And it turned out to be the hospital.

The doctor put me on a bed, with a drip in my arm (I think it was insulin). My reaction was not too bad, because I was so young and didn’t fully understand what happened. But for my family, it was a really traumatic.

How did your family/friends/fellow athletes react?

At first, it was really difficult for my family- it was all so new. Nobody in my family had diabetes, and my parents knew very little about the condition. So in the beginning, they wondered, ‘‘How could this happen to our son? We did everything for him, what have we done wrong?’’

I remember that a lot of friends and family came to see me in the hospital, and they all supported my family and me.

Did you think your days as an athlete were over? Did others? What did your doctor say?

At first, yes- I did think my days as an athlete were over. But since I was so young, nobody was concerned with the future of my cycling, only my overall health was important.

My doctor helped my family and me a lot with supportive words and helped us to understand that I could live and thrive with type 1 diabetes. It was a great help for us.

What was it like riding with diabetes and how did you adjust?

Time and experience is the best way to adjust, I think. If I am motivated, with a strong mind, I can become a great athlete with good diabetes management. I just need to know and listen to my body, and in time, I will succeed!

Sports Q&A

Tell us about how you got started in your sport.

I got started through my parents. They did everything for me. Without them, I would be nothing now.

When did you start competing?

I began competing immediately after I started cycling, because I was born with the spirit of competition and the desire to win!

When you first started competing, did you tell anyone (teammates/coaches/trainers) about your diabetes?

Yes- why not? I have never been ashamed! I told the people who took care of me. It’s important, I think, because they need to understand. Sometimes you can have some bad moments, and it’s good if everyone is aware.

How/when did you know cycling was something you wanted to do professionally?

From the moment I started. I’ve always believed in myself. I’ve always worked very hard and given absolutely everything for my passion, cycling!

Now, I can say I’ve realized my dream to live my passion- even with diabetes. I always wanted to become a professional cyclist; it’s in my blood. I’m a competitor, and I worked very hard for this.

What do you think is your biggest achievement in your athletic career?

My biggest achievement will be when my team or I win that first race. And I hope this happens soon, so we can show people with diabetes what can be possible!

My second achievement will be that my team becomes a pillar of the World Tour, and we can participate one day in the Tour de France.

What is your favorite memory from a race/competition?

My biggest memory from my first year as a professional is the first stage of the Amgen Tour of California, where I won the Most Courageous Rider jersey.

I worked so hard in a breakaway, and it was an honor for me to hold this jersey for two days, riding with the best cyclists in the world.

Being part of Team Novo Nordisk

How did you come to join Team Novo Nordisk?

In 2013, I came on as a stagiaire on the Development team. My parents knew the team, and I sent my list of results to Development Team Director, Daniel Holt, and he gave me the opportunity to race for one month with the team.

I had some good results: I won two races, and earned a lot of top 5s, so, in 2014, I signed a contract with the Pro team. It was a big achievement for me!

How has your life changed since you joined the team (both as an athlete and as a person)?

I live my passion, so I live my dream. What else is there?

I enjoy my life. I enjoy every moment of it as an athlete- when I race, when I train, when I’m with my family- because I know that this is an incredible opportunity.