Team Novo Nordisk made its Norwegian debut on Wednesday with Stage 1 of the Tour of Norway. The five-day stage race serves as the first UCI 2.HC race for two Team Novo Nordisk riders, Australian James Glasspool and Dutchman Gerd de Keijzer.

The 183-kilometer stage was one for the sprinters and saw a fast pace from the start. Team Novo Nordisk’s Stephen Clancy attacked early into the race and only one rider grabbed his wheel. The duo stayed out front for a couple kilometers before the peloton decided to pull them back. By 25 km, the day’s main break was established. The five-man break quickly built a sizeable lead of 7:30 and as the race hit the finishing circuits around Sarpsborg, the escapees still had a considerable gap. The sprinters teams had to push hard in the final kilometers to bring this group back, causing several riders to lose contact. With 500 meters remaining, the escapees were eventually caught with Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) proving quickest to the line.

“We rode near the front all day and tried to stay out of trouble,” Glasspool said. “As we were coming into final circuits, we lost contact with each other and weren’t able to get back into the bunch before the finish.”

Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) sprinted to the win ahead of Caleb Ewan (Orica GreenEDGE) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (MTN-Qhubeka).

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at the Tour of Norway on Thursday with Stage 2. The 193-stage begins in Drammen and features two intermediate sprints and two categorized climbs before a downhill finish into Langesund.