we are driving change in diabetes

What is Team Novo Nordisk?

Team Novo Nordisk is the world’s first all diabetes professional cycling team. All our athletes compete with type 1 diabetes. We race to inspire, educate and empower everyone affected by diabetes, and to promote an active and healthy lifestyle as we compete against the best cyclists in the world.

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We see everyone who is affected by diabetes as

part of our team.

We are all connected and work together to provide each other hope and inspiration to keep chasing our dreams. Whether you are living with a medical condition such as diabetes or not, exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle for us all. Get to know our team and learn how each of our inspiring athletes is driving change in diabetes.

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Our Mission

The Team Novo Nordisk mission is to inspire, educate and empower people affected by diabetes.

When diagnosed with diabetes, many people think it means they won’t be able to live life the way they’d hoped. Team Novo Nordisk makes it our mission to show the world what may be possible with diabetes. It is because of the past 100 years of innovation within diabetes management that we are able to race at the highest level of the sport, inspiring everyone with diabetes to pursue their dreams. Cheer us on as we drive change in diabetes - one race at a time.

Cheer us on as we drive change in diabetes

one race at a time

one race at a time

what

is diabetes?

When you eat, some of your food is broken down into sugar (also called “glucose”). Sugar travels in your blood to all your body’s cells, where it is needed for energy. A hormone called insulin helps sugar move from your blood into your cells.

When you have diabetes, your pancreas makes small amounts of insulin, inconsistent amounts of insulin, or no insulin at all. In addition, your body prevents the insulin you do make from working effectively.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body cannot make any insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body cannot produce enough insulin, or the insulin that is produced does not work properly.

we have come a long way

since the discovery of insulin 100 years ago

We hope for a future where people diagnosed with diabetes are not told what they cannot do, but rather how to manage their diabetes in order to achieve their dreams.

team

history

Phil Southerland, co-founder and CEO of the team, and Novo Nordisk came together to create Team Novo Nordisk based on a shared vision to inspire, educate and empower people around the world affected by diabetes.

Southerland’s passion for cycling inspired him to build a world-class racing program of athlete ambassadors who were changing the way the world saw diabetes. Today, Team Novo Nordisk competes on a global scale and our athletes are sources of inspiration worldwide. Explore the highlights of our team’s achievements over the years.

2006

Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge assembled a group of eight cyclists with type 1 diabetes to take on the 3,000-mile Race Across America and raise diabetes awareness.

2007

The team went on to win Race Across America in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

2008

The team turned professional after success in amateur races.

2012

Southerland began reaching out to every cycling federation in the world, looking to gather a full competitive team of cyclists living with diabetes.

2013

All athletes with type 1 diabetes competed on the team for the first time.

2014

During the team’s first participation in the Tour of California, Kevin de Mesmaeker placed third on Stage 4.

2015

Four team members completed the 300-km Milan-San Remo Spring Classic. To our knowledge, no one living with type 1 diabetes had ever competed in and finished this race!


Scott Ambrose became the first team member to win a race, winning stage 2 of Le Tour de Filipinas.

2016

The team receives its first invite to a World Tour stage race – Tour of Poland.

2017

Across 35 races in 19 countries, including four World Tour stage races, the team earned 15 top 10 finishes.

2018

Javier Megias earned a top 10 general classification result at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey. David Lozano won a stage at the Tour of Rwanda and placed fifth on the general classification.


Team Novo Nordisk was invited to the United Nations headquarters in New York to celebrate the first World Bicycle Day.

2019

Charles Planet returned to the Tour of Poland to win the team’s first ever World Tour jersey after winning the Most Active Rider category.

2020

We celebrated the renewal of Novo Nordisk as title sponsor of the team for the next three years. Our combined commitment to improving conditions for people living with diabetes is a powerful partnership for change.

2021

Joonas Henttala achieved a landmark in 2021 by becoming the Finnish national champion, achieving TNN’s first national champions jersey.

2022

In what has been the best season ever for the team, at GP Kranj in Slovenia Andrea Peron achieved his lifelong dream and brought home his first professional win.

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