Team Novo Nordisk Makes RideLondon Debut

30 July 2018

Race: Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic

Start/Finish: London, England, United Kingdom

Distance: 183 kilometers

London, England: Team Novo Nordisk made its Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic debut on Sunday with wet roads and gusting winds.

The 183-kilometer race, which started and finished on Horse Guards Road in St James’s Park, saw an early break off seven riders make it off the front. This group quickly built a sizeable gap of more than seven minutes.

As the race reached the winding and narrow Surrey Hill roads, escapee and pre-race favorite Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-SCOTT) dropped out of the break making it a six-man group.

The group stayed away until the final kilometers as the race headed back into London. Rain steadily fell as the sprinter’s teams took control in anticipation of a bunch sprint.

German national road race champion Pascal Ackermann (BORA-hansgrohe) sprinted to the win ahead of Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo).

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling squad, returns to racing on Wednesday at the five-day PostNord Danmark Rundt. The opening stage starts and finishes in Aalborg.

Phil Southerland

“At today’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, we had two young diabetes superstars come by and meet the team. Kia Watts and Louis Evans — both who recently attended the team’s Talent ID camps in the United States — got to see behind-the-scenes of a World Tour race and I hope this keeps them inspired to chase their dreams and never let diabetes hold them back.