Hard return to racing for TNN on stage one of the Czech Tour

27 July 2023

Team Novo Nordisk came back to racing with a bang at the Czech Tour today with the opening stage fireworks providing enough explosions to make stage 1 a tough day out.

Sports Director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“A couple of our younger riders from the development team certainly found out what racing at this level is all about and it’s clear that some guys have a lot of work to do.”

“We can take some positives from today, Quinten acquitted himself very well against some of the best riders in the peloton and it was good to see his grit and determination throughout. Hamish also fought hard throughout the second half of the stage and came close to making the top 20. We’re in for another tough day tomorrow and form the parcours it looks to a harder days racing than today.”

Quinten De Graeve:

“I didn’t feel a significant difference between today’s race and the races with the devo team because we have done some tough ones before as well. However, I can see that the guys here are more experienced, so I need to focus on gaining more experience myself.”

“I’m really happy that I finished with the main group, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow, working hard again and hoping it will be another good day for me and the team.”