Climber
DOB 28-12-1996
AGE OF DIAGNOSIS 18
YEARS WITH TEAM 8
“I have diabetes but I live a normal life. I overcome it like my injuries, challenges…I keep the same approach: moving forward, learning, and growing.”
PROFILE
A climber from the Hautes-Alpes, Lucas Dauge has spent nearly a decade with Team Novo Nordisk: three seasons on the development squad and six as a professional. 2026 marks his ninth year in the team’s colors, and he starts it with a clear run at a full calendar for the first time in three years.
Dauge grew up as the middle of three children in the heart of the French Alps, and his athletic career began on skis. Cycling arrived later: after watching stages of the Tour de France pass through his region, he found his love for the bike, and by 16 he was racing with his local club.
At 18, he had lost seven kilograms, felt persistently lethargic, and couldn’t quench his thirst. His doctor ordered lab work, and the results led to a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. His family had no previous experience of the condition and were shocked. Dauge stepped back from training to learn how to manage his glucose levels around riding, and like many athletes on the team, first found Team Novo Nordisk online. Within five months of his diagnosis, he won his first race. From there, he set his sights on the development squad.
In 2017, Dauge attended one of Team Novo Nordisk’s talent ID camps, then held each summer in the United States. The camp taught him how to manage his diabetes while eating and training as an athlete, and it earned him a place on the development team for 2018. He won the Battle of Lewisburg Road Race in Tennessee that year and rode well in stage races including Turul României and the Baltic Chain Tour. Two more consistent seasons on the development squad followed, and in 2021 he stepped up to the professional ranks.
His first pro year was disrupted before it began. A heavy training crash in the off-season broke both his tibia and fibula, and a long recovery and rehabilitation process followed. He returned to make his professional debut on home roads at the Classic Besançon and the Tour du Jura.
Positive rides in Rwanda and Turkey in 2024 suggested he was back on track, but further crashes and injuries interrupted 2025. A surgery on his shoulder that summer appears to have resolved the underlying problem, and Dauge enters 2026 healthy and focused on the uninterrupted season he has been chasing.
Away from racing, Dauge has never lost his love of skiing and still spends time on the snow. He enjoys the mountains around home, gardening, and time with friends. He holds a bachelor’s degree and hopes to work in sports management one day.