Stage 7 of the Tour of Hainan took off fast from the start, covering 165.7 kilometers from Sanya to Donfang, China. A breakaway of just four riders was caught 3-km from the finish, setting the sprinters up for a chase to the finish line. German Tino Thömel (RTS-Santic Racing Team) managed to outsprint the Italians, who have dominated the race so far, to finish in first. Team Novo Nordisk’s Martijn Verschoor (NED) just missed another top 10 finish, coming in 11th.

“Today was a good opportunity for me to get a result. My teammates took good care of me all day and I was in a perfect position at 300 meters to the finish line when someone nearly crashed into me and I lost speed,” said Verschoor. “I’m disappointed, but hopefully tomorrow I will have good legs for the climbing stage and then I can fight for another top 10 on the final stage.”

Tino Thömel (RTS-Santic Racing Team) sprinted to the win ahead of Jakub Mareczko (Southeast Pro Cycling) and Andrea Palini (Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team).

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team, continues racing tomorrow at the Tour of Hainan. Stage 8 marks the queen stage, including three category 1 climbs over 204.8 kilometers from Dongfang to Wuzhishan.