Sazka Tour

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.”

Photo Credits: Mario Stiehl

Another tough day out filled with rain, climbs and groups all over the road on the second stage of the Czech Tour with Hamish Beadle the best finisher for Team Novo Nordisk.

Sports Director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“The guys did their best today, we knew it was going to be a harder stage than yesterday and a different kind of challenge with the climbs. The wet conditions certainly made it a little tougher but that’s the same for the whole peloton.”

“There were groups all over the road quite early on and even when the breakaway went Bora kept the tempo high in the bunch and we gradually fell back. Hamish, Lucas and Quinten stayed together for much of the race but it was Hamish who had the better legs in the end and we need to receiver well tonight because it doesn’t get any easier tomorrow.”

Hamish Beadle:

“We knew today was going to be a tough day, so we approached it with a mindset of survival. We managed quite well, considering we started the last climb with the main group. We tried to save our legs for the upcoming days, as the challenges are only going to get harder. There are still a couple of things we need to work on as a team, but overall, we did okay.”

Photo credit: Mario Stiehl

The Queen Stage of the Czech Tour came packed full of climbing and altitude meters that made for another challenging day for Team Novo Nordisk.

The 161.5 kilometer route included two ascents of the Dlouhá strána and then continued with the climb up Červenohorské sedlo, the mountain pass in Hrubý Jeseník, which turned out to be the final test for the peloton and the deciding factor in todays stage.

Sports Director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“Today was the Queen Stage and the objective was to handle the challenge as best we could and make sure we all finished within the time limit. We knew that the climbs would take their toll and it was good to see Lucas finding his legs again and digging in.”

“Hamish and Lucas have been gradually improving throughout the race and they were our two best guys today. One more stage to go and one more tough day of racing to battle through.”

Lucas Dauge:

“Today was once again a hard day with lots of climbs. Our goal was to pass through this day without any problems and ride together until the final climb.”

“We managed to maintain our rhythm until the finish and tide our own pace to the line. The first group was climbing really strong and it was too hard to follow. My legs were okay, but I know I can do better. I still need to work on my position, but it’s good to feel like I’m getting better.”

Photo credits: Mario Stiehl

Team Novo Nordisk wrapped up the Czech Tour with a 176-kilometer stage that started in Šumperk and finished in Šternberk, a beautiful historical city in the Olomouc Region. The stage included almost 3,000 meters of elevation gain, with several challenging climbs in the first half and circuits in the end.

Sports Director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“That’s a wrap for the Czech Tour and I think for a lot of guys here it was a surprise just how hard the race actually was. Hamish and Quentin both did very well and today we were straight onto the climbs one after the other.”

“Hamish in particular got better with each stage and as the race went on he found that he could stay there on the climbs, find his rhythm and finish at his own pace. Quinten showed grit and determination every day and that was clearly a key factor in finishing the race.”

Hamish Beadle:

“Today was pretty crazy, but I surprised myself a bit, which was sweet. My legs felt pretty good on the first climbs early in the stage and I managed to stay in the front bunch until the circuits. From there, it was just survival to the finish.”

“Overall, it’s been an ok week, and my progression is starting to head in the right direction.”

Photo credits: Mario Stiehl