Brand and McDonald Land in Front Group on Tough Opening Stage of Tour of Taihu Lake

12 September 2026

Team Novo Nordisk got its Tour of Taihu Lake campaign off to a strong start, with Sam Brand and Bailey McDonald both making it into the first group on a demanding opening stage built around a repeated climb.

Brand, who joined the team in China later than several teammates coming straight off the Tour of Shanghai, wasn’t sure what to expect from his legs heading into the day.

“I arrived a little later than the other guys who came straight from Shanghai, so I didn’t know how the body would go on a tough opening stage,” Brand said. “I knew this stage from previous years, and like last year, it was always going to come down to the climb on each lap.”

The race blew apart on the first ascent, and Brand made sure he was positioned right where he needed to be.

“I was over at the front on the first climb and the race split apart from there,” he explained. “I knew I had to race on the front foot, so I stayed active.”

That front-foot approach paid off for both riders. Brand and McDonald held their spot with the leaders lap after lap, and Brand used his position in the closing kilometres to set his young teammate up for the finish.

“Bailey and I stayed with the front group on each lap, and I was able to position him well heading into the final two kilometres,” Brand said. “It was a tough opening stage, but racing strong at the front was an important goal of the day.”

With the front group safely in the bank on stage 1, the focus now turns to the remaining stages as Team Novo Nordisk looks to build on today’s form around Taihu Lake.