17 Apr - 22 Apr 2018

TEAM Pro Team

CITY Various

STAGES 6

TEAM Pro Team CITY Various STAGES 6

Video

Umberto Poli recaps his recaps his day in the breakaway at the Tour of Croatia opener.

Gallery

(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

2018 Tour of Croatia - Stage 1

Race: Tour of Croatia, stage 1

Start/Finish: Osijek/Koprivnica, Croatia

Distance: 227 kilometers

KOPRIVNICA, CROATIA — Umberto Poli spent four hours in a wet and windy breakaway on Tuesday in order to compete for bonus seconds in three intermediate sprints during the first stage at the Tour of Croatia.

Poli and three other riders escaped in the opening kilometers of the stage in warm temperatures and a light wind. The small group worked constantly to build an advantage of more than five minutes, but within the first hour a light rain began to fall as the wind speeds picked up.

Poli finished the three sprints with a four second bonus, and after 150k went back to the peloton to help teammate Andrea Peron in the mass finish. Rain intensified in the final kilometers of the race, but soon after gave way to sunshine.

Umberto Poli:

“I was in the breakaway for four hours, 150km. We were just four riders, so it was a long, hard day. At Milano-Sanremo last year we were 10 riders, so we had more time for recovery. Today we were just four riders, so we didn’t have any time to recover. We needed to work a lot and spend more energy. We started in sunshine, but after 60k it began to rain and kept raining until the finish. After the race the sun came out.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, will continue to race the Tour of Croatia through Sunday.


Gallery:


Results:

1st: Niccolo Bonifazio (Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team) 5:45:25

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

3rd: Eduard Grosu (Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini): same time as Bonifazio

36th: Charles Planet: same time as Bonifazio


(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

 

Video

Charles Planet breaks down stage 2 of the 2018 Tour of Croatia, where the Frenchman was on the attack, looking for breakaways.

Gallery

(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

2018 Tour of Croatia - Stage 2

Race: Tour of Croatia, stage 2

Start/Finish: Karlovac/Zadar, Croatia

Distance: 234.5 kilometers

ZADAR, CROATIA – Charles Planet attacked the whole peloton on Wednesday, launching a late counterattack in the final kilometers of stage two at the Tour of Croatia.

Planet saw his opportunity to disrupt the sprint trains on the road to the finish in Zadar on a day that started under sunny skies in the middle of the country but then turned so windy that race organizers temporarily stopped the competition to protect the peloton from danger.

At the top of the day’s lone climb, after 170km, officials and teams cooperated to neutralize a 20km descent and a further 15km of flat roads towards the Adriatic coast. Powerful crosswinds pushed fragile cyclists off their bikes and caused several crashes as the peloton rode slowly and carefully until turning southwest to find the wind at their backs.

In the final 14km of the stage Planet took advantage of a tactical pause as sprint teams sized each other up before the finish in Zadar. The French rider was joined by another rider from the peloton and together the two escapees held off the bunch for 5km and the entrance to the final circuit.

Charles Planet

“Today we had a lot of crosswind during the stage, and the organizers decided to neutralize the race for about 35km, because it was really dangerous on the road. I saw a lot of guys crash, and the race officials definitely made the right decision.

“At the beginning of the season I was in a lot of breakaways, and today I wanted to show myself as an attacker. If you never try, you never get anything. I had to wait a little bit for the other guy, but then we had good collaboration and I had good power in the legs. We got caught in the end, but it was nice for the confidence for the next stage.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, will continue to race the Tour of Croatia through Sunday.


Gallery:


Results:

1st: Eduard Michael Grosu (Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini): 5:38:11

2nd: Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek – Segafredo): same time as Grosu

3rd: Riccardo Minali (Astana Pro Team): same time as Grosu


(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

Video

David Lozano breaks down stage 3 of the 2018 Tour of Croatia, where the Spanish rider moved into the top 20 overall.

Gallery

(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

2018 Tour of Croatia - Stage 3

Race: Tour of Croatia, stage 3

Start/Finish: Trogir/Sveti Jure, Croatia

Distance: 134 kilometers

SVETI JURE, CROATIA — David Lozano moved in to the top 20 overall at the Tour of Croatia on Thursday at the end of what he called “the longest and hardest climb” of his career.

The peloton rolled out of the scenic island of Trogir to start a short 134km stage down the Dalmatian coast under sunny skies with almost no wind. Temperatures were nearly summer-like but there was little time to enjoy the beach as Charles Planet crashed in a traffic rotunda and injured his right leg. The French rider recovered quickly and resumed his place in the peloton to finish the race, but will wait until Friday morning to see if he can start stage five.

Brian Kamstra became ill with stomach distress after the peloton left the coast and began its day in the mountains, and withdrew from competition. The Dutch rider is under the care of team medical staff and cleared to travel home on Friday and resume training as soon as he feels well.

Lozano used his remaining teammates to stay protected at the front as the bike race moved south along the Makarska Riviera, a dramatic stretch of seacoast that launches almost straight up to a mountain nature preserve high above the village of Podgora.

On a 29km climb Lozano finished 20th, and moved into 17th place on General Classification with three days of racing to go. The Spanish rider held with the leaders for the first 12km of the long ascent, then settled into a pace and rhythm to preserve his overall position.

David Lozano

“We started in Trogir, which is a really nice place in Croatia, and in the neutral section of the race there was a big climb, so it was a perfect preview of the day to come.”

“The race was pretty fast at the start, and after about 100km we started this climb, and I think it was the longest and hardest climb I ever did.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, will continue to race the Tour of Croatia through Sunday.


Gallery:


Results: 

1st: Kanstantin Sioutsou (Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team) : 5:15:10

2nd: Pieter Weening (Roompot – Nederlandse Lotterij): 0:08 behind Sioutsou

3rd: Yevgeniy Giddich (Astana Pro Team) : 0:47 behind Sioutsou

20th: David Lozano: 7:58 behind Sioutsou


(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

Video

Andrea Peron breaks stage 4 of the 2018 Tour of Croatia, where a late race crash thwarted the Italian rider’s chances at a sprint finish.

Gallery

(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

2018 Tour of Croatia - Stage 4

Race: Tour of Croatia, stage 4

Start/Finish: Starigrad/Crikvenica, Croatia

Distance: 171 kilometers

CRIKVENICA, CROATIA — Andrea Peron felt unlucky on Friday when most of the peloton stopped in front of him with 700m to go in stage four at the Tour of Croatia. The Italian had relied on his teammates to keep him in front for the final sprint, but nothing could compete with bad luck.

A breakaway that formed after more than an hour of racing built a five minute advantage over the bunch, but on a coastal road headed straight north, with no turns, the peloton covered most of the gap by the time the race entered the final circuit in Crikvenica.

Peron edged to the front to anticipate the three tight turns in the final kilometer, but riders ahead of him overestimated their own speed in the corners, and when more than a few went down on a left-hander across the small river that drains into the tourist port town, it was the end of Peron’s sprint chances before they ever had a chance.

Charles Planet left the race before the start to begin his recovery following an injury to his right leg from the day before. On stage three the French rider bruised his knee, and he woke up Friday with stiffness and road rash. Team medical staff cared for Planet and the rider is expected to be racing again soon.

Andrea Peron

“Today was a possible day for sprinters, but the breakaway took almost 50km to go because everybody wanted to be in it. There was one little mountain at the finish and the group split, but it was ok for me because I was in the front. The team had me perfect until 700m to go, but then the guys at the front of the group crashed and all I could do was watch the race go away.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, will continue to race the Tour of Croatia through Sunday.


Gallery:


Results: 

1st: Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani – CSF) : 3:56:57

2nd: Enrico Barbin (Bardiani – CSF): 0:12 behind Tonelli

3rd: Jan Tratnik (CCC – Polkowice) : ”

34th: David Lozano: “


(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

Video

David Lozano breaks down stage 5 of Tour of Croatia, where solid teamwork helped the Spanish riders finish with the leaders and hang onto to a top 20 position in the general classification.

Gallery

(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

2018 Tour of Croatia - Stage 5

Race: Tour of Croatia, stage 5

Start/Finish: Rabac/Mt. Ucka, Croatia

Distance: 156 kilometers

MT UCKA, CROATIA — David Lozano used the help of his teammates to get the final mountain on Saturday’s stage 5 of Tour of Croatia, and then the Spanish rider rode up the last climb with the leaders at the end of the stage.

Andrea Peron rode next to Lozano on a hot and sunny day in the steep mountains just near the Istrian coast, following the peloton’s attacks and surges over two brutal climbs after a beachside start in the resort town of Rabac. When the race descended back down to the sea and passed through the city of Rijeka, Croatia’s gateway to its archipelago of countless pine-covered islands, it was again Peron who kept his team leader near the front.

At the base of the final climb, as rival teams increased the pace, Peron finished his work and Lozano took control, staying close as attacks off the front put the whole race on edge.

Lozano held on to his top 20 overall in the Tour of Croatia with a strong finish, then coasted back down hill to the waiting team bus. When Peron arrived a few minutes later the two riders high-fived each other and shook hands to commemorate a job well done.

David Lozano

“Straightaway after the start we went at the mountains, and it was a nice, hard day. I was with the leaders until 3km to go, and Andrea helped to put me in position for the last climb, and the second-to-last-climb, and we did really nice work. The guys are really committed and we did a good job today.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, will continue to race the Tour of Croatia through Sunday.


Gallery:


Results: 

1st: Manuele Boaro (Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team) : 4:15:54

2nd: Lukasz Owsian (CCC – Polkowice): 0:07 behind Boaro

3rd: Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani – CSF) : 0:10 behind Boaro

24th: David Lozano: 2:33 behind Boaro


(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

Video

Andrea Peron recaps the 6th and final stage at the 2018 Tour of Croatia, where David Lozano scored a top 20 overall and the squad received a special visit from kids with type 1 diabetes and their families.

Gallery

(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

2018 Tour of Croatia - Stage 6

Race: Tour of Croatia, stage 6

Start/Finish: Samobor/Zagreb, Croatia

Distance: 151 kilometers

ZAGREB, CROATIA — David Lozano finished in the top 20 overall at the 2018 Tour of Croatia on Sunday with help and assistance from his teammates Andrea Peron and Umberto Poli on the final stage of the race.

On a hot day in Croatia, Poli and Peron protected Lozano’s position in the peloton from sudden attacks by rival teams as the race left nearby Samobor for a fast loop around the capital city. Poli and Peron each took turns carrying water and food back from the team car and closed down gaps in the bunch over cobblestone hills in the city center.

Local children’s diabetes group ‘Slatki Samoborci’ showed up in great number at the start to greet their cycling heroes before the race, presenting handmade gifts to each of the members of the world’s first all-diabetes cycling team. Kids as young as 3 years old joined with teenagers to talk with the riders and ask for autographs as Team Novo Nordisk gave each member of the group souvenirs and posed for photographs.

Lozano stuck with the race leaders into the final hill, finishing atop the leaderboard in the 2018 Tour of Croatia with strong results against top global cycling teams. Peron and Poli each came in to the finish to join the Spanish rider for a celebration with local diabetes patients on Zagreb’s historic city square on a beautiful Spring day in Croatia.

Andrea Peron

“It was a challenging week. We finished the week with just three riders, because of crashes and illness. But it’s cycling and we did a good job. We started the day with David in a good GC position, and the goal was to try and improve. We achieved our goal, and next year we hope to do even better.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, will next race in Spain at the Vuelta Aragon in May.


Gallery:


Results: 

1st: Paolo Simion (Bardiani – CSF) : 3:21:39

2nd: Mirco Maestri (Bardiani – CSF): 0:11 behind Simion

3rd: Eduard Grosu (Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini) : 0:25 behind Simion

20th: David Lozano: 0:35 behind Simion (17th in general classification)


(Photos: © Mario Stiehl / René Vigneron)

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