Pro cycling team Team Novo Nordisk inspires thousands of diabetes sufferers worldwide, competing at a UCI Continental level despite each rider living with type-1 diabetes. We asked riders Gerd de Keijzer and Joonas Henttala, plus medic Justine Lyons, how they manage the disease to compete at such a high level.
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The story behind Team Novo Nordisk
The team was created by Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge, who assembled eight cyclists with type-1 diabetes to take on the gruelling 3,000mile (4,828km) Race Across America. The team went on to win the event in 2007, 2009 and 2010 — an incredible achievement.
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Fast forward to the present day and Team Novo Nordisk has nearly 100 endurance athletes from over 20 countries on its roster. Most of them are cyclists with type-1 diabetes, but there are some triathletes and long-distance runners on the team too, and some endurance athletes with type-2 diabetes.
The pro cycling team has 18 riders and competes at a UCI Continental level in major races around the world. It racked up its first big win last year when Scott Ambrose (NZL) won stage 2 of Le Tour de Filipinas, and the team also earned two top-ten finishes last year at the Tour of Dubai.
“To inspire people affected by diabetes and race professionally at the same time feels like a dream come true,” says Dutch rider Gerd de Keijzer. “Sometimes when people are first diagnosed with diabetes, they focus on the negatives. I think this team has started to change that mentality.”
What is diabetes?
How do Team Novo Nordisk riders manage their diabetes?
The future of Team Novo Nordisk
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