The world’s first all-diabetic professional cycling team will compete in The Tour of Britain from September 7, 2014.
Team Novo Nordisk is a global sports team made up of more than 100 triathletes, runners and cyclists, led by their professional cycling team. The unique team all have type 1 diabetes and manage their condition while training and competing in high endurance competitions.
Novo Nordisk said the team will be competing to encourage other patients to learn how to control their diabetes in order to be able to progress in their day-to-day lives.
Dr Rafael Castol, Team Novo Nordisk medical director, said: “Our experience working with Team Novo Nordisk riders demonstrates that all levels of physical exercise can play an important role in the management of people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
“When supporting patients to step up levels of exercise, we would recommend that healthcare professionals consider the individual’s personal commitment to achieving tight glycaemic control, their confidence level in monitoring blood glucose levels, and their ability to make appropriate adjustments to their medication.”
The team was formed in December 2012 by Novo Nordisk and Phil Southerland, co-founder and CEO of Team Novo Nordisk, as part of Nordisk’s Changing Diabetes programme, which aims to create more opportunities to live well with diabetes and ensure better outcomes for more patients.
Southerland himself was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just seven months old and began cycling at the age of 12. In 2007, he was part of the winning team in the 3,000 mile Race Across America.
“When diagnosed with diabetes, many people think it means they won’t be able to live life the way they had hoped,” he told PMLiVE. “Team Novo Nordisk is racing to inspire people with diabetes to set and achieve their goals, whatever they may be, and show that the first step towards this is good diabetes control.”
The eight day Tour of Britain, which will see Team Novo Nordisk start in Liverpool and pass through cities such as Bristol, Exeter and finishing in Brighton, is the country’s leading cycling race.