Abu Dhabi Tour

(Photos: ©TDWSport)

Race: Abu Dhabi Tour/Stage 1

Start/Finish: Madinat Zayed/Adnoc School, , United Arab Emirates

Distance: 189 kilometers

ABU DHABI, UAE — Team Novo Nordisk continued its 2018 race campaign in the Middle East on Wednesday, starting seven riders at the Abu Dhabi Tour.

Fresh off a strong winter training program and a successful debut earlier this month in Dubai, Charles Planet struck first for the world’s only all-diabetes professional cycling team when he jumped into a 5-man breakaway on a hot day in the desert.

Planet’s group stretched out their lead to nearly five minutes over the agile peloton of 139 riders, and kept a high pace as the race followed a straight but at times hilly course across towering sand dunes and sporadic palm tree oases.

With temperatures all day above 30ºC (High 80s F), Planet spent more than four hours in front of the peloton, struggling against wind and competitors through two intermediate checkpoints before pulling back to assist his teammates for the anticipated final sprint.

Against the best sprinters in the world on Wednesday it was TNN’s Andrea Peron who finished first for Team Novo Nordisk, posting a top 20 result on the first day of the five-stage race.

Charles Planet:

“In Dubai I was in the breakaway two times, and I felt stronger the second day. But today was a harder day. There was wind and the pace was pretty high, and I was with four strong guys with a lot of experience who raced really smart. For sure I’m not done yet.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at Abu Dhabi Tour on Thursday with stage 2, a 154-kilometer stage from Yas Mal to Yas Beach.

Gallery:

Results:

1^st: Alexander Kristoff (UAE): 4:48:24

2^nd: Andrea Guardini (Bardiani – CSF): same time as Kristoff

3^rd: Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton – Scott): same time as Kristoff

16th: Andrea Peron: same time as Kristoff

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

*This image is solely for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It is not a substitute for the advice of a health care professional. If you have diabetes or suspect having any health problems, you should consult a qualified health care professional.

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

Race: Abu Dhabi Tour, Stage 2

Start/Finish: Yas Mall/Yas Beach, United Arab Emirates

Distance: 154 kilometers

ABU DHABI, UAE — Desert winds split the peloton in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, and Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano found himself on the right side of the race when things became chaotic.

On a long, straight road in Khalifa Port in one of the many large islands in the Arabian Gulf, the peloton began to close its gap to a five-rider breakaway that included Charles Planet on his second day at the front of the race. In anticipation of heavy cross winds the riders suddenly started to jockey for position and fight each other for space across the road.

Planet’s group was soon caught, and Lozano, riding with teammates Sam Brand and Rik Van Ijzendoorn, found himself at full speed on narrow roads in a splintered group of chasers, flying after a pack of around 30 riders at the front.

Within 30km the peloton reassembled itself, but did not slow down, and Lozano stayed elbow to elbow until the finish line, arriving in the same time as stage winner Elia Viviani of Italy.

David Lozano:

“Today was a little bit of a hectic stage. We knew before the stage that kilometer 95 would be the decisive point of today’s race. I was in the right position with Sam and Rik, and usually when it’s a headwind you hide behind your teammates. But when the wind comes from the sides it’s really hard to hide in between the other riders. We were going 70-75 km per hour in the flat today, which is fast. Wind means pain in a bike race.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at Abu Dhabi Tour on Friday with stage 3, a 133-kilometer stage from Nation Towers to Big Flag.

Gallery:

Results: 

1^st: Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors): 3:15:30

2^nd: Danny Van Poppel (Team LottoNL-Jumbo): same time as Viviani

3^rd: Pascal Ackermann (BORA – hansgrohe): same time as Viviani

37^th: David Lozano: same time as Viviani

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

*This image is solely for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It is not a substitute for the advice of a health care professional. If you have diabetes or suspect having any health problems, you should consult a qualified health care professional.

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

Race: Abu Dhabi Tour, Stage 3

Start/Finish: Nation Towers/Big Flag, United Arab Emirates

Distance: 133 kilometers

ABU DHABI, UAE — Team Novo Nordisk rider Sam Brand leaped at the chance to ride in the breakaway on Friday in stage three of the Abu Dhabi Tour.

Brand, in the first World Tour race of his career, attacked the peloton twice before getting away in the company of three other riders on a hot day among the post-modern architecture of downtown Abu Dhabi, and stayed off the front for almost two hours.

At the intermediate sprint Brand, used the advice of teammates and team directors to test his legs against more experienced riders, and found himself watching and learning as the breakaway turned into a battle of wits at the line.

Soon the peloton began to chase in earnest, and before the next sprint Brand attacked together with one breakaway companion to try and hold them off. But two against 134 proved to be no match, and he settled in for a sprint finish in front of a large crowd at the end of the Abu Dhabi marina.

Phil Bauhaus of Team Sunweb edged out Marcel Kittel (Team Katusha – Alpecin) for the stage 3 win, and Andrea Peron finished best for Team Novo Nordisk at 18th.

Sam Brand:

“Today was very insightful. It was my first World Tour race, and I knew that the other guys were going to try and sprint. Some of them were skipping turns and taking it easy to prepare themselves, and for me it was ideal to go about 1k early to build up speed.

But there was a block headwind and it was really hard, so I tucked back in behind the strongest guy and tried that way. In the end they caught us back up and I got to help Andrea to a top 20 in the sprint.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at Abu Dhabi Tour on Saturday with a 12.6-km individual time trial in Al Maryah Island.

Gallery:

Results: 

1^st: Phil Bauhaus (Team Sunweb): 3:02:55

2^nd: Marcel Kittel (Team Katusha – Alpecin): same time as Bauhaus

3^rd: Pascal Ackermann (BORA – hansgrohe): same time as Bauhaus

18th: Andrea Peron: same time as Bauhaus

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

*This image is solely for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It is not a substitute for the advice of a health care professional. If you have diabetes or suspect having any health problems, you should consult a qualified health care professional.

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

Race: Abu Dhabi Tour, Stage 4 (ITT)

Start/Finish: Al Maryah Island/Al Maryah Island, United Arab Emirates

Distance: 12.6 kilometers

Al Maryah Island, UAE – The Team Novo Nordisk squad rode their first individual time trial of the 2018 season on Saturday, taking to the road solo for a short, twisting and blustery race against the clock amid Abu Dhabi’s sleek post-modern skyscrapers.

Riding forcefully but with caution in the wind, Finnish rider Joonas Henttala finished the 12.6km course with an average speed of 45.5km, navigating the out-and-back loop with an even split of left and right hand turns on a wide, 3-lane boulevard that serves the central business district and a seaside dining and shopping promenade in the capital of the United Emirates.

With a full season of racing ahead, Team Novo Nordisk broke out their Colnago K-Zero time trial bikes on Saturday for the first competition of the year, adapting to the aerodynamic pedaling positions and pacing of the race with an eye towards gathering measurement data for future corrections and improvement.

Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) won the stage, completing the course in 14:21 and moving to first in the General Classification. David Lozano finished best for Team Novo Nordisk at 16:09, 1:48 behind Dennis.

Multiple national and world champions also lined up on Saturday as the Abu Dhabi Tour shifted from three straight days of group sprint finishes. On Sunday the race concludes with a summit finish in Jebel Hafeet.

Joonas Henttala:

“Time trials are all about suffering. You can train for it, but you have to get used to the aerodynamic tuck and the new pedaling position. I like all kinds of time trial courses, and today was tricky because it had crosswinds, headwinds and tailwinds. On a road bike you can put power on the pedals from almost any position, but in the TT bike you need to prepare for it.”

Gallery:

Results:

1st:  Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team): 14:21

2nd:  Jonathan Castroviejo (Team Sky): 0:14 behind Dennis

3rd:  Miles Scotson (BMC Racing Team) 0:16 behind Dennis

99th: David Lozano: 1:48 behind Dennis

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

*This image is solely for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It is not a substitute for the advice of a health care professional. If you have diabetes or suspect having any health problems, you should consult a qualified health care professional.

(Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

Race: Abu Dhabi Tour, Stage 5

Start/Finish: Al Ain/Jebel Hafeet, United Arab Emirates

Distance: 199 kilometers

ABU DHABI, UAE — Team Novo Nordisk put Joonas Henttala man in a breakaway on Sunday – the ninth time in ten February stages – and then launched David Lozano up the final mountain on the final day of the Abu Dhabi Tour.

Lozano arrived with energy to spare at the base of Jebel Hafeet, an 11km serpentine road that snakes up the long mountain ridge just outside Abu Dhabi’s garden city of Al Ain. His teammates all helped to surround and protect the Spanish rider from strong winds throughout the day, while jostling for position in the 124-rider main peloton, and Joonas Henttala helped from a distance of nearly 10 minutes in front in the breakaway.

Rain in the early morning kept temperatures cool, and by start time the winds had increased to considerable strength. Henttala found himself in a powerhouse breakaway of nine riders, with strong motivation to reach the mountain first, and then rode efficiently up to and across the base of the climb.

Lozano kept pace with the leaders through the tough, early section of the mountain, and then found a steady rhythm to finish atop Jebel Hafeet in the company of his climbing companions.

Charles Planet did not start the last stage, with symptoms of a cold, but is expected to recover quickly.

David Lozano:

“Maybe today’s breakaway was the most important of the last nine. Joonas in the front meant that we could spend our energy fighting for position in the peloton instead of having to chase. Sam, Andrea, Rik and Romain all helped me to keep my energy and got me to the mountain in good shape. It was nervous because of the wind, definitely not relaxing, but great work against the best riders in the world.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing on March 4 at Itay’s GP Industria & Artigianato.

Gallery:

Results: 

1^st: Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team): 4:38:47

2^nd: Miguel Lopez (Astana Pro Team): same time as Valverde

3^rd: Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors): 0:15 behind Valverde

41st: David Lozano: 6:12 behind Valverde

Photos: ©TDWSport/Getty Images)

*This image is solely for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It is not a substitute for the advice of a health care professional. If you have diabetes or suspect having any health problems, you should consult a qualified health care professional.