Team Novo Nordisk’s Andrea Peron took on the high-paced sprint finish on Friday’s Stage 2 of the Arctic Race of Norway, finishing 15th behind stage winner, Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18).

The 162.5-kilometer stage featured three intermediate sprints and four categorized climbs. Six riders escaped approximately 60 km into the stage and built a maximum gap of three minutes over the peloton. As the race entered the final kilometers, Jean-Marc Bideau (Bretagne-Séché Environnement) set off solo from the breakaway. With 16 km remaining, he was caught and a bunch sprint ensued in Setermoen.

“Yesterday, I tried to take on the final sprint but the last 20 kilometers proved really hard and I lost all my power in the final 300 meters,” Team Novo Nordisk’s Andrea Peron said. “Today, I felt great and I decided to stay behind the well-organized lead out teams. In the last 500 meters, I had good legs but just didn’t have enough space to open up my sprint. I have to say that I’m really disappointed because I felt so strong.”

Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18) sprinted to the win ahead of Federico Zurlo (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling) and Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha).

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling squad, continues racing at the Arctic Race of Norway on Saturday with the penultimate stage. Stage 3 is 175 km long and runs from Finnsnes to Målselv.