Team Novo Nordisk return to Slovakia for 70th edition of Okolo Slovenska

14 September 2026

Team Novo Nordisk head to the hills of Slovakia this week for the challenging five-day Okolo Slovenska — the last European race of 2026 for the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team.

Now in its 70th edition, the race has been a fixture on the European calendar since 1954 and is one of the continent’s most prestigious late-season stage races. The 2026 edition gets underway on September 16th, covering close to 900km over five stages with 10,000 metres of elevation gain. The race starts in the east in Košice before heading west and then south towards the dramatic mountain terrain of central Slovakia, concluding with a summit finish on Králová Hoľa — the highest peak of the Low Tatras and one of the most demanding finishes in European cycling.

The race has a rich recent history of producing exciting racing across all terrains, with four of the five stages featuring over 2,500 metres of climbing — making it one of the most consistently demanding races on the UCI calendar and perfectly suited to Team Novo Nordisk’s climbing-heavy line-up.

Veteran Spanish climber David Lozano returns to lead the team, fresh from winning the King of the Mountains jersey at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic. Young Scot Hamish Armitt is also back in the line-up after a long lay-off with injury — a very welcome return. Italian rouleur Filippo Ridolfo, who also enjoyed a strong ride in Philadelphia, will need his climbing legs in Slovakia, and is joined by compatriot Antonio Polga and Frenchmen Lucas Dauge and Lucas Terrier, with neo-pro Juan José López completing the squad.

“Okolo Slovenska is our last European race of the season and it’s important for us to finish on as big a high as possible,” said General Manager Vassili Davidenko. “We know from past editions how tough the race is and this year will be no different — it’s very hilly with only stage four run on flat terrain, so the line-up reflects the profile of the race.”

“Four out of five stages cover over 2,500 metres of elevation, so we’re happy to finally have Hamish Armitt back from injury alongside David and Antonio — our strongest climbing group. Filippo has also been climbing well lately and we need this group to perform to their maximum over the next five days of racing.”

Team Novo Nordisk at Okolo Slovenska, 16th – 20th September:

Hamish Armitt (GBR, 24)

Lucas Dauge (FR, 29)

Juan Jose Lopez (ESP, 20)

David Lozano (ESP, 37)

Antonio Polga (IT, 27)

Filippo Ridolfo (IT, 24)

Lucas Terrier (FR, 20)

Stages:

Wednesday 16th September, Stage 1: Kosice – Kosice, 162.6km

Thursday 17th September, Stage 2: Levoča – Liptovský, 186.8km

Friday 18th September, Stage 3: Tvrdošin – Dohňany. 195,1km