All-diabetic team secures funding through 2019 season
Image 1 of 5
Andrea Peron gets a bottle from the Novo Nordisk team car(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Novo Nordisk team CEO Phil Southerland talking with one of his riders pre-stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Novo Nordisk at the Dubai Tour(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Novo Nordisk in the team time trial at Tirenno Adriatico(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A Novo Nordisk rider adds some ice to his jersey at the Tour of Poland(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Pro cycling's all-diabetic team will continue through at least the 2019 season, Team Novo Nordisk revealed today in announcing a two-year extension with the namesake title sponsor.
"We are thankful to Novo Nordisk for this ongoing opportunity and look forward to the future," said Phil Southerland, co-founder & CEO of Team Novo Nordisk. "Since our initial meetings with Novo Nordisk, we've approached this project with a long-term mindset because we must identify and develop athletes with type 1 diabetes to their fullest."
The Danish pharmaceutical company partnered with Team Type 1 in 2013 to create Team Novo Nordisk, a Pro Continental program made up of riders with type-1 diabetes. The team is part of the 'Changing Diabetes' initiative, Novo Nordisk's global commitment to improve conditions for the 415 million people living with the disease.
The US-registered team scored its first and only UCI win in 2015 when Scott Ambrose took stage 2 at the Tour of the Philiipines. The 2017 roster includes 19 riders, while the program also includes an amateur development team and multiple talent identification camps. The team also sponsors track riders such as Mandy Marquardt, a sprinter targeting the 2020 Olympics.
The latest sponsorship deal secures a total of seven consecutive years of sponsorship from Novo Nordisk, which employs approximately 41,400 people in 77 countries and markets its products in more than 165 countries.
"Securing sponsors in professional cycling is a challenge for every team," Southerland said. "We feel fortunate and honored to have Novo Nordisk as a partner and appreciate its continued commitment to this world-class team of athletes. Every day, we provide the diabetes community with heroes to look up to and show the 1.2 billion people around the world directly affected by diabetes what may be possible.
"Team Novo Nordisk will continue utilizing professional cycling as a platform to share its experiences and life stories to inspire, educate and empower everyone affected by diabetes," Southerland said. "Personally, my dream and goal is for this project to make it to the Tour de France where we will be able to reach an enormous audience and inspire them to live the healthiest life possible."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
