Wattelle Takes Podium on Final Stage of Tour of Taihu Lake
The guys put me in the front, and at 1km to go. I was on Quinten's wheel. When he started to hit his limit at 500m to go, Astana came past us, so I switched wheels. The timing was perfect.
TAIHU LAKE, CHINA — September 16, 2026 — Célestin Wattelle (FRA) of Team Novo Nordisk, the world's first all-diabetes professional cycling team, finished third on the final stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake. Wattelle contested the bunch sprint and crossed the line just outside the podium places before race officials promoted him to third after sanctioning the riders ahead of him. It is his best result of the season, capping a week in which the 23-year-old improved his result on every stage from the second day onward.
Wattelle, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 12, joined Team Novo Nordisk's development squad in 2022 and moved up to the professional team in 2025.
With the general classification settled, Team Novo Nordisk rode the closing stage as a unit, covering early moves before committing to the sprint.
"Our main goal for this stage was just to communicate well between us. Bailey and Sam tried to follow a few attacks, but the group came back together each time. We then all stayed together and saved energy for the final,” said Célestin Wattelle.
Bailey McDonald (AUS) and Sam Brand (GBR) marked the attacks, and in the final kilometers the team delivered Wattelle to the front of the bunch.
"The guys put me in the front, and at 1km to go I was on Quinten's wheel. When he started to hit his limit at 500m to go, Astana came past us, so I switched wheels. The timing was perfect,” explained Wattelle.
Wattelle's week built steadily, from 19th on stage two to 17th on stage three, 16th on stage four and the podium on the final day. The team rode the back half of the race a rider down after Donovan Mackie (AUS) crashed on stage three and withdrew with a broken wrist.
"I’m really happy to finish the race in China like this. I’m also very happy that we improved day after day, even after Donovan's crash,” concluded Wattelle.
In other team news, a separate Team Novo Nordisk squad is racing this week at Okolo Slovenska / Tour de Slovaquie (September 16–20) in Slovakia.
Team Novo Nordisk is a global all-diabetes sports team, spearheaded by the world’s only all-diabetes professional cycling team, racing to inspire, educate, and empower everyone affected by diabetes and promote an active, healthy lifestyle. For more information, go to www.teamnovonordisk.com.