Dauge in the breakaway, Brand fights in the front

Stage 2 of the Tour of Istanbul brought the peloton back to Şile for a punishing 149.9km queen stage, packed with punchy climbs that shaped the day’s racing. Team Novo Nordisk went on the attack early, sending Lucas Dauge into the day’s breakaway as part of a clear team plan: get a rider up the road and set up Sam Brand for the finale.

Dauge made the front group count, bridging into the break on the first climb and helping keep the gap honest before the bunch reeled things back in. From there, he shifted focus to supporting Brand as the race entered its decisive final kilometers.

Brand repaid the effort with the team’s best result of the day, finishing 28th with the front group. He looked to have the legs for more, attacking on the closing punchy climbs with small groups, though the race came back together ahead of a chaotic finish among the leaders.

Brand described feeling strong throughout the stage, crediting the support of his teammates — including the breakaway effort from Dauge and backing from the team’s younger riders, Hayden Stevens, Ollie Clements, and Lucas Terrier.

“Today was really good, I had great sensations and the boys supported me. I gave everything to do my best for the boys, our team and our diabetes community. Representing this team means the world to me and to do it at the front of the race means so much more.” – Sam Brand

Dauge, reflecting on the collective effort behind the result, said the day came together as planned despite the demands of the queen stage.

“The plan was to have someone in the breakaway and to have Sam in the front group at the end! A hard day with the queen stage but the legs were good. A good day for us!” Lucas Dauge