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First all-diabetes cycling team to visit University

11/06/2018

Riders from the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team, Team Novo Nordisk, are preparing for as pit stop at the University of Wolverhampton during a week-long tour of the UK to mark Diabetes Week (11-17 June). 

Now in its second year, Pedal for 7 is so called due to its mission to inspire people living with diabetes to use exercise as a tool to help them meet advised targets for their HbA1C levels (less than 7% for type 2 diabetes and less than 6.5% for type 1 diabetes). HbA1C is the measure used to track sugar in the blood (blood glucose) over longer periods of time, and is an overall indication of how well diabetes is being managed.

The team will be visiting the University’s Health and Wellbeing Fair at the Wolverhampton City Campus on Tuesday, 12 June 2018.

Between 1 and 2pm, there will be a presentation and Q&A session with Justin Morris from Team Novo Nordisk, in room MC001.

Team Novo Nordisk will be joined by healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes along their route in a bid to raise awareness of the disease. Along the way, riders taking part in the cycling tour will engage with the diabetes and cycling communities across the country.

Participating riders will cover a total of 553 miles throughout the week, stopping at Masham, Rochdale, Stoke-on-Trent, Worcester, Newport (South Wales), Reading and Newbury en route, before arriving in Oxford to complete the tour.

Sam Brand, Team Novo Nordisk’s first UK rider, said: “Pedal for 7 is a fantastic event because it gives us, the professionals, the opportunity to ride alongside other people living with diabetes and the healthcare professionals that are so key to their lives.

“From a rider’s perspective, the route takes in some stunning UK countryside, so it’ll be a real pleasure to ride. It’s also a route that will offer a challenge to pros and amateurs alike.

“For me personally, it’s a real pleasure to be involved because the UK is my home and I’m proud to be the flying the flag for Team Novo Nordisk as the first UK rider.”

Diabetes is one of the biggest public health challenges facing the UK today, with 10% of the NHS’ annual budget (£10bn) currently spent on managing the disease, of which 80% of that figure goes on managing preventable complications2. Research suggests that if current trends persist, more than five million people in England will have diabetes by 20251.

A healthy regime, which includes regular exercise, is key to helping prevent the march of type 2 diabetes in the UK, and Novo Nordisk hopes that events like Pedal for 7 will draw on some of the current popularity of cycling and inspire people to take to the road.

Pinder Sahota, General Manager and Corporate Vice President for Novo Nordisk UK., added: “When Pedal for 7 launched in 2017, it was the first event of its kind, and we’re delighted to be supporting it again this year.

“Pedal for 7 is all about inspiring people living with diabetes and demonstrating that achieving excellence in sport and a diabetes diagnosis are not mutually exclusive. Whether someone has type 1 or type 2 diabetes, exercise can be beneficial in managing the condition, as well as helping to prevent some of the complications associated with diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease and other vascular complications.”

Further information about the Health and Wellbeing Fair 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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