Team Novo Nordisk Helps Ignite Dubai Tour Opener
03 February 2016
Race: Dubai Tour
Start/Finish: Dubai International Marine Club/Fujairah
Distance: 173 kilometers
Dubai, UAE- Team Novo Nordisk had an aggressive start to its second appearance at Dubai Tour with Martijn Verschoor (NED) sprinting to a top 15 finish and teammate Charles Planet (FRA) featuring in the day’s main breakaway.
Charles Planet (FRA)
The 173-km race began with a flurry of attacks, but after 30 kilometers, a group of four riders pulled away from the peloton. Team Novo Nordisk’s Charles Planet launched a counterattack and was joined by another rider, catching the break at the 46 km mark. That group led the race for more than 120 km and was caught with just 10 km to go after fighting for the last intermediate.
“My first stage of 2016 is done but I’m not totally satisfied,” Verschoor said. “My winter training made my legs good, but I made a mistake at the last roundabout that probably cost me a top 10. But it was great to see a very strong ride by Charles in the breakaway. In 2016, you’re going to see strong improvements for Team Novo Nordisk. It’s going to be a good season!”
Said Planet, “It was my first race of 2016, I wanted to see how I felt and how my winter training went. I saw the four guys in the breakaway about 200 meters in front. I needed to reach them. It was a good day for me and for the team to build confidence for the next stage and the rest of the race.”
Team Novo Nordisk Senior Vice President of Athletics, Vasilli Davidenko added, “It was a great beginning. There were several breakaways today and we had a guy in every one. We were in the lead position almost all day. I’m excited to see our guys competitive on Day one and racing as a team. “
Results:
- 1st: Marcel Kittel (Etixx – Quick Step)
- 2nd: Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka)
- 3rd: Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo512)
Team Novo Nordisk Results:
- 14th: Martijn Verschoor
- 56th: Andrea Peron
- 71st: Stephen Clancy
- 73rd: David Lozano
- 82nd: Charles Planet
- 83rd: Nicolas Lefrançois
- 86th: Javier Megias
- 101st: Joonas Henttala
Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at the Dubai Tour on Thursday with Stage 2, a 183-kilometer course that runs through some of the city’s most famous landmarks.
(Photos: ©TDWSport)