Ahead of their first races of the 2021 season Team Novo Nordisk Development Team received some welcome news from the UCI confirming their step up to the Continental Team classification.
In a move that marks another progressive step forward in the whole development of the Team Novo Nordisk family, the world’s first all diabetes professional cycling team will now have two squads competing professionally across the world.
“The idea of bumping the team up to a Continental Team has been something I’ve been hoping to be able to do for a several years now,” explained devo team manager Daniel Holt. “I’m happy to say that I believe the team can be competitive at this level now. One thing that really helped solidify the decision this season is that now the devo and pro teams have the ability to share some riders at races, giving the organization the opportunity to continue the development of riders at all levels.”
“The Devo team has basically been racing at this level for years now. A big part of our calendar has included UCI 1.2 and 2.2 races with many other Continental teams. One big difference this year though is that we will not have a team base in the USA, so there won’t be any domestic racing on the calendar. Filling the gap will be more European races with much bigger fields. This will be challenging for the younger riders and they will need to adapt quickly. I have confidence in the guys to do this well though. Here’s to a good season of learning!”
The level of competition will be stronger but making the jump to a European racing program will suit most of the squad as there is already a strong international backbone to the team with the majority of the roster coming from Europe.
Moving up in this way highlights the continued commitment of Team Novo Nordisk and their sponsors to the global diabetes community and couldn’t have come in a more significant year as 2021 marks the centenary of the discovery of insulin and now two pro teams will be carrying that message and that celebratory number on their jerseys as they jostle for space in the pro peloton.
“In 2020 the devo team had a great year of growth and success,” said Team Novo Nordisk CEO and Co-Founder Phil Southerland. “Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19 we as an organization managed to overcome significant obstacles to make big leaps forward and the progression of our young development team to the level of Continental Team for 2021 is a clear sign of our intention to keep on moving forward.”
“We are proud to be able to celebrate the lifesaving anniversary of the discovery of insulin in 2021 by having more of our riders out there on the world stage, helping us all to continue to change diabetes for all those whose lives it affects and it’s important to remember that these are our champions and heroes of tomorrow.”
The multiple benefits of having two pro teams competing around the world is something that is not lost on the team’s executive management as Team Novo Nordisk General Manager Vassili Davidenko explained.
“There are several factors that lead us to the decision to move the Development team to Continental level,” concluded Davidenko. “Access to more international races, the opportunity to test devo riders more often with the pro team and also help us to provide better support to the team. In general, we believe it will help us to provide smooth development and to continue to move riders on to the next level – the senior professional team.”
“It is the next step for us, and we are prepared to approach and overcome challenges. The rider’s fitness will be well aligned with the races we want to participate in, and we are ready for more with full confidence and excitement. Together with Novo Nordisk affiliates, we’ll have more opportunities to highlight our mission and more people will be inspired during this special year of 100-years since the discovery of insulin.”
Team Novo Nordisk Development Team begin their 2021 season on Wednesday March 3rd in Croatia at the UCI 1.2 categorized Trofej Umag/Umag Trophy.
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