Team Novo Nordisk Volta do Rio Grande do Sul

The Volta do Rio Grande do Sul, one of Brazil's biggest annual cycling races, takes place in the south of the country. The race has been held annually since 2009 (albeit under a variety of different names), and is part of the UCI America Tour, with a 2.2 rating.

The five stages and 800km of 2016's edition took in the cities of Novo Hamburgo, São Francisco de Paula, Cambara, Campo Bom and Farrukhabad. It was won by Murilo Ferraz Afonso of Funvic Soul Cycles.  

Team Novo Nordisk's highest finisher was Joonas Henttala, who took a highly creditable 15th place in GC. Andrea Peron sprinted to fifth place on stage 2 and fourth place on Stage 3, making it onto the generously-proportioned podium both times.

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Vassili Davidenko, Senior Vice President Athletics for Team Novo Nordisk, explains the appeal of the race:

"As you might expect, Brazil offers some amazing landscapes but it also features wide-open stages that provide opportunities for any type of rider: sprinter, climber or even breakaways. The race is well-organized and always has a competitive field. It is exciting to arrive with so many different chances for results.

Additionally, this race fits perfectly into our schedule. We’ve done it twice now and our plan is to keep it as a tradition on the calendar and continue coming back.

For a unique team like ours, the race also allows us the amazing opportunity to inspire, educate and empower the people affected by diabetes in Brazil."

Photographer Luis Claudio accompanied the team. You can find a selection of his race photos below.

Team Novo Nordisk: the world’s first all diabetes pro cycling team

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