Javier Megias earned Team Novo Nordisk its first ever top 10 overall result at a UCI 2.HC classified race, which is one level below Grand Tour. The placement also served as a career best at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey for Megias, who finished 14th overall in last year’s edition.

Sunday’s final stage began with Megias in 11th position. Team Novo Nordisk’s plan was to keep the Spaniard protected until the final lap with the aim of moving him into the top 10 overall. Knowing they needed to race aggressively, Martijn Verschoor attacked from the gun and created the first break of the day. Verschoor was unable to stick with the break as they sprinted up the 50-meter kicker on the nine-lap circuit and decided it would be better to save himself and work for Megias in the finish.

With three turns and a 40-meter rise in the final kilometer, Megias knew the finish would be a battle. Verschoor’s decision to work for Megias paid off, as he was the last teammate when the race hit the base of the final climb. The dramatic cobble finish saw a late race attack from Lluis Mas Bonet (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) who caught several teams off guard. The Spaniard held on to take the win with Megias finishing 11 seconds back. The strong finish gained him seven seconds, enough to move him into 10th place overall.

“I’m really happy with my finish but in all honesty, I know I can do better,” Megias told the Team Novo Nordisk website. “I may be a 10-year professional, but I am still learning from the little mistakes I made over the past week. This was a great result for the team, but now I’m ready to get to California where I’d love to earn a podium result on one of the stages.”

Lluis Mas Bonet (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) took the win ahead of Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step) and Carlos Barbero (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA). Kristijan Durasek (Lampre-Merida) held on to the overall race win.

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, resumes racing at the Tour d’Azerbaidjan on Wednesday. The five-day stage race begins with a 154-km sprint stage around Baku.