Great start in Norway with Kopecky tenth and Smith in the break

The pattern for the 2024 season to date for Team Novo Nordisk has been to be present in the early breakaway, take some pressure off, gain some visibility and then unleash Matyas Kopecky in the final, stage one of the Arctic Race Norway proved to be no different. 

After a six week break between races the worlds first all diabetes professional cycling team picked up exactly where they left off in Belgium in June. This time with British neo pro Nathan Smith making the early breakaway before some strong teamwork helped position Kopecky for his 16th top ten of the season.

“The plan was for us to have someone up the road if the early move went,” began Kopecky. “And that’s exactly how it went. It took a few moves to go, but Nathan was switched on from kilometer zero and off he went with five other guys and that was the first objective ticked off. To be honest I didn’t feel so good throughout the stage, a little sluggish and I guess that’s normal after a long layoff from racing.”

“As we approached the final, I still didn’t feel like I’d brought my sprinting legs and I definitely missed that punch that I normally have, but to make it in the top ten against a strong field is pretty good for the first race back and I expect the extra gear to come back in the coming days with the rhythm of racing.”

For Smith the only goal was to get into the breakaway and the 23-year-old once more was one of three TNN riders trying from the start with Filippo Ridolfo and Antonio Polga both active, but Smith jumping at the right time.

“It was definitely nice to get up the road again, especially on the first stage,” said Smith. “We had a clear plan not to miss the breakaway, so we were jumping in moves with Filippo, Antonio and myself. And I managed to make it in the right one.”

“My legs were good but not brilliant, I felt like I was lacking a little bit of the top end that you get from racing. But they’re definitely getting there and it was good to be part of a collaborative group, but I lost contact on the main climb as the pace increased. Tomorrow will be a tough start, straight onto a first category climb, so I hope to recover well tonight.”

Photo credit: Sprint Cycling Agency