Tour de Korea

(Photos: ©Kim Daebong)

Race: Tour de Korea, stage 1

Start/Finish: Yeosu/Gunsan, Korea

Distance: 216km

GUNSAN, KOREA – Team Novo Nordisk returned to the UCI Asia 2017 calendar on Wednesday at the Tour de Korea, a 5-day, 2.1 stage race in a 20-team peloton. With just six riders per squad, the racing is fast and open to quick changes of tempo and speed.

A 5-man breakaway with more than nine minutes advantage on the peloton was captured at 20km to the finish, chased down by teams interested in the flat, wide finish. Spanish rider Jon Aberasturi won the stage in a field sprint and takes the first leader’s jersey of the Tour de Korea.

Mehdi Benhamouda crashed at 30km to go, and had to change bikes before he was able to rejoin the peloton. With under 10k to go Chris Williams also crashed, but both riders were unhurt and will start stage two on Thursday.

Mehdi Benhamouda  

“The objective today was to finish in the front, help Andrea in the sprint and save the legs for stage two. It was fast in the end, with a lot of crashes, and I crashed with 30k to go. It was hard to come back, but I did my best to come back to help the team in the finish. I’m happy to finish.” 

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

“The early breakaway got nine minutes on the peloton, but the sprint teams brought them back with 20k to go. Today was the longest stage of the race, and also the first stage, and the guys look easy and strong on the bike. The next days will have some more climbing and look like good chances for us to get in the breakaway.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Tour de Korea through Sunday, with a final stage in Seoul.

Gallery:

Results: 

• Jon Aberasturi 1^st : (Team UKYO) : 5:24:43
• Nicolas Marini 2^nd : (Nippo – Vini Fantini) : st
• Kyoung Ho Park 3^rd : (Geumsan Insan Cello) : st

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Andrea Peron : 17^th : st
• David Lozano: 45^th: st
• Charles Planet : 56^th: st
• Mehdi Benhamouda: 58^th : st
• Rik Van Ijzendoorn: 99^th : st
• Chris Williams: 117^th: 5:10 back

Race: Tour de Korea, stage 2

Start/Finish: Gunsan/Muju

Distance: 156km

MUJU, KOREA – The second stage of the 2017 Tour de Korea kicked off in high gear on Thursday and did not let up until the final kilometer, with breakaways splitting up and reforming all day in sunny but humid weather.

Overnight race leader Jon Aberasturi’s Japan-based squad chased down nearly every breakaway attempt in the first hour, leading the peloton of 112 starters almost 50km after just 60 minutes of racing. As the stage moved into the hills the race broke up into three small groups, with Team Novo Nordisk’s Lozano, Planet and Williams all with the leaders.

Aberasturi paid for his efforts, losing ownership of the jersey to Korea’s own Kyeongho Min, who outsprinted Yevgeniy Giddich of Kazakhstan and Edwin Avila of Colombia to win the stage and take over in yellow. Planet finished 20th, 1:55 back from Min, together with Lozano in the same time.

Charles Planet

“The breakaway went after the first climb, but I hesitated to go because we thought the Yellow Jersey team could control the race, but unfortunately they weren’t strong enough any more. I really like how the profile went up and down all day, and we worked to get the breakaway back. I did my best for a top 20.” 

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

“Stage two this year in Korea was different from last year, but still the start was really fast at 49k for the first hour. The breakaway never really established itself, and the race never really slowed down. Chris, David and Charles all made it into the lead group for the finish, but found themselves cut off on the descent to the line. At 4k to go the leaders had a minute on the chasers and it never came back”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Tour de Korea through Sunday, with a final stage in Seoul.

Gallery:

Results: 

• Kyeongho Min 1^st : (Seoul Cycling Time) : 3:41:26
• Yevgeniy Giddich 2^nd : (Vino – Astana Motors) : 0:04 back
• Edwin Avila 3^rd : (Team Iluminate) : st

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Charles Planet : 20^th : 1:55 back
• David Lozano: 26^th : st
• Chris Williams: 57^th: 2:14 back
• Andrea Peron : 94^th : 20:53 back
• Mehdi Benhamouda : 95^th : st
• Rik Van Ijzendoorn: 112^th : st

(Photos: Kim Daebong)

Race: Tour de Korea, stage 3

Start/Finish: Muju/Yeongju

Distance: 167km

YEONGJU, KOREA – The third stage on the 2017 Tour de Korea began on Friday at the Taekwondon National Taekwondo Center and the fight for the breakaway began immediately after the start. As in stage two, teams chose to control the peloton for the first hour, allowing no escapees until the first climb of the day.

Charles Planet spent that hour attacking in search of a day off the front, but in the end six riders from rival squads spent the stage dangling 90 seconds ahead of the main peloton.

At 10km to go the race was all together and headed for a mass sprint. Mehdi Benhamouda, Chris Williams and David Lozano worked to put sprinter Andrea Peron in a good position for the flat finish.

A crash with less than 3km to go interrupted the race briefly, and it was New Zealander Scott Sunderland who won the stage ahead of countryman Brenton Jones and Korean rider Joon Yong Seo. Local rider Kyeongho Min held on to his yellow leader’s jersey for a second stage, with Team Novo Nordisk’s Benhamouda finishing as the second best young rider on the day.

Chris Williams

 “Just constant attacking and following, for the first hour. I think we covered 50k again in the first hour, and the breakaway did not go until the first KOM. It has been really fast the last few days, and we missed the breakaway again, so we’re motivated for tomorrow. It’s pretty crazy racing in Asia, the stages aren’t that hilly and there’s almost always a bunch finish.”

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie  

“The pace was high again today, higher still than yesterday. 50, sometimes 60k an hour and always a bloc. Charles was very active many times at the front to try for the breakaway, but no luck today. In the finish there were some crashes but our guys escaped and finished on their bikes. Mehdi and Andrea worked for the sprint and it was a good result. Tomorrow is a better chance for the breakaway to arrive at the finish first, so we will try to be there.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Tour de Korea through Sunday, with a final stage in Seoul.

Gallery:

Results: 

• Scott Sunderland 1^st : (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness Team) : 3:45:00
• Brenton Jones 2^nd : (JLT – Condor) : st
• Joon Yong Seo 3^rd : (KSPO) : st

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Mehdi Benhamouda : 9^th : st
• Andrea Peron : 12^th : st
• Charles Planet : 24^th : st
• David Lozano: 61^st : st
• Chris Williams: 77^th: st
• Rik Van Ijzendoorn: 79^th : st

(Photos: ©Kim Daebong)

Race: Tour de Korea, stage 4

Start/Finish: Yeongju/Chungju, Korea

Distance: 156km

CHUNGJU, KOREA – A mid-stage climb broke up the peloton on Saturday during stage four at the 2017 Tour de Korea, dividing the group roughly in half on a pleasant if hazy summer day.

David Lozano and Charles Planet found themselves in the front group of around 50 riders, with assistance to get there from Chris Williams and Andrea Peron, as teams attacked each other in the early part to try and break up the tight standings in the general classification.

Hills splintered the second group further, leaving Rik Van Ijzendoorn and Mehdi Benhamouda behind and chasing. Over the lone KOM of the day, a 3km climb with an average slope of 8.9%, Lozano and Planet stuck with the leaders in anticipation of a fast finish and eventual sprint.

Planet was the stronger of Team Novo Nordisk’s front duo, and followed downhill accelerations in the final kilometer to sprint for the line, finishing in the same time as the day’s winner Jon Abersturi. The Spanish winner was also atop the podium in stage one earlier this week, and on Saturday finished ahead of Italy’s Riccardo Stacchiotti and Korea’s Joo-seok Kim.

Lozano came a few places back, and Planet moved up three positions in General Classification, within 10 seconds of a Top-15 overall. There were no changes in the top 17 positions.

Charles Planet

“The race really started on the first KOM, so I tried to follow the moves all day, and then the peloton split with about 80k to go. David and I managed to stay in the front group, but it was full gas and a lot of attacks at the front. Everyone wanted to take the yellow jersey and it was a sprint from a small group. I followed my director and I’m happy with my sprint.”

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

 “I’m really happy with the guys this week, and I’ve seen a lot of fighting spirit every day. Williams is a good road captain, and the two in front today, Lozano and Planet, were chasing attacks and making the race for the finish. The Tour de Korea is a good race for us.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the Tour de Korea through Sunday, with a final stage in Seoul.

Gallery:

Results: 

• Jon Abersturi 1^st : (Team UKYO) : 3:37:59
• Riccardo Stacchiotti 2^nd : (Nipo – Vini Fantini) : st
• Joo-seok Kim 3^rd : (Gapyeong Cycling Team) : st

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Charles Planet : 11^th : st
• David Lozano : 26^th : st
• Chris Williams : 63^rd: 11:05
• Andrea Peron : 68^th : st
• Mehdi Benhamouda : 97^th : 18:27
• Rik Van Ijzendoorn : OTL

(Photos: ©Kim Daebong)

Race: Tour de Korea, stage 5

Start/Finish: Seoul/Seoul, Korea

Distance: 65km

SEOUL, KOREA – The final stage of the 2017 Tour de Korea started at Seoul’s Oympic Park and finished in a fast sprint to conclude a week of tough racing. New Zealand’s Brenton Jones won ahead of his countrymen Scott Sunderland and Jason Lowndes.

Chris Williams slipped into a lightning-fast breakaway as the race entered a 5-lap circuit around the park, and won the first intermediate sprint on a day that never went below 50km per hour.

In the final 2km a series of crashes took out the first 15 riders and slowed the peloton as riders sought to avoid the accident. Team Novo Nordisk riders Andrea Peron and Mehdi Benhamouda both remained upright, but lost positions and speed in the slightly uphill sprint.

Benhamouda was the highest-placed young rider on the day in 19th, and Peron finished 14th.

Andrea Peron

“It was a really fast race, always more than 50k an hour. In the end there was a little bit of confusion, and a crash affected us a little bit. In the last turn we got stuck and lost a lot of positions. I tried to come back as fast as I could. I like the race, this year it was really open and only five stages.”

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

 “We had the best young rider today with Mehdi, and were in the top three teams at the finish. The week was good, we fought every day and the riders showed they weren’t afraid to attack and animate the race.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling squad, continues racing on Sunday at the final stage ofCanada’s Tour de Beauce, where the team takes on a 122.4-km circuit race around Saint-Georges.

Gallery:

Results: 

• Brenton Jones 1^st : (JLT Condor) : 1:18:48
• Scott Sunderland 2^nd : (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness Team) : st
• Jason Lowndes 3^rd : (Israel Cycling Academy) : st

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Andrea Peron : 14^th : st
• Mehdi Benhamouda : 19^th : st
• Charles Planet : 28^th : st
• David Lozano : 62^nd : st
• Chris Williams : 64^th: st