Riders are refusing to sign for the squad, morale is suffering, and rumours swirl over a name change and sponsors.
Photos by Cor Vos and Kristof Ramon
Photo illustration Jonny Long, photos by Cor Vos and Kristof Ramon
Israel-Premier Tech has become accustomed to opposition during the team’s short history, but since the outset and escalation of the Gaza War, the situation for one of Israel’s pre-eminent global sporting outfits has become increasingly dangerous and complicated.
It’s been an eventful two weeks for the squad. Protestors disrupted the team’s TTT effort at the Vuelta a España, star rider Derek Gee is attempting to terminate his contract, and Chris Froome was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after a training crash. In between it all, this privately-held cycling team is an inescapable focal point for the horror and controversy of the Israel-Gaza war, the name of one of the two sides emblazoned on the jerseys of its riders.
Things came to a head on the Vuelta’s stage 11 into Bilbao where the route was overwhelmed with protestors. Before the stage start several teams reportedly “registered their preferences for Israel-Premier Tech to pull out,” according to The Cycling Podcast’s Daniel Friebe, and during the race multiple protestors stood on the course in front of riders. Eventually, the stage was pulled; it was announced with 15 km remaining that there would be no stage winner and GC times would be taken 3 km from the line in order to avoid the hundreds of protestors at the finish.
The current Gaza War began with the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and saw another 251 taken hostage – the worst attack in Israel’s history. But as the war nears the end of its second year, with over 60,000 Palestinians dead and massive destruction of infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s conduct of it has led to increasingly fierce criticism.
On August 15, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the worldwide authority for declaring famines, formally confirmed conditions in Gaza qualified as a famine, which the United Nations Security Council called a “man-made crisis” due to restricted access for aid groups. That was followed this week by a resolution from the International Association of Genocide Scholars that assessed Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Even staunch allies dating back to Israel’s founding are breaking ranks, with France, the United Kingdom and Canada prepared to become the first G7 countries to formally recognise Palestinian statehood (the UK and Canada would do so with conditions). Israel, for its part, has strongly contested both the IPC and IAGS statements and criticised plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
The acrimony over the war has spilled over to pro cycling on multiple occasions. Israel-Premier Tech has been repeatedly protested at its bus at race starts and stopped on race courses, it travels with extra security, and now its operations, sponsor outlook, and ability to conduct business in the transfer market have all seen an impact.
Escape Collective spoke to individuals inside the team, as well as others with direct knowledge of its operations and rider recruitment, to understand how the war is reshaping the squad’s finances, recruitment strategies, and day-to-day existence inside the sport. Sources for this story were granted anonymity to speak freely without fear of retaliation.
A name that makes an easy target
Though the team has staunchly denied it when asked twice in the past month by Escape, rumours continue to swirl that the team is facing pressure from its other sponsors and various stakeholders in the sport to drop ‘Israel’ from its team name, according to multiple sources within the sport with direct connections to the squad.
“I can categorically confirm this is not true. The team name will remain Israel-Premier Tech,” a team spokesperson told Escape in response to questions. “The team has never been asked by sponsors or race organisers to change its name, nor does the team have any plans to change its longstanding identity as an Israeli-based team, open to all.” The team’s owner, Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, certainly appears to have little appetite to withdraw from his team. However, the future of its other sponsorships have been called into question.
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