The cycling team at the centre of repeated protests during this year’s La Vuelta will change their name for next season in an attempt to move away from their “Israeli identity”.
Israel-Premier Tech will “rename and rebrand” for next season, while the owner Sylvan Adams, an Israeli-Canadian businessman, will step back from his day-to-day role. Three stages of this year’s Vuelta were neutralised due to pro-Palestinian protests and the technical director of the race urged Israel-Premier Tech to withdraw from the grand tour.
The team were uninvited from the Giro dell’Emilia this month, which finished in Bologna last weekend, amid fears of similar protests.
Sponsors were unhappy with the attention on the team
MIGUEL OSES/AP
Their sponsors — including the British bike manufacturer Factor — were unhappy with the attention. “Without a name change, without a flag change, [Factor] won’t continue,” Factor told CyclingNews.
The details of the new team have not been announced. “With steadfast commitment to our riders, staff, and valued partners, the decision has been made to rename and rebrand the team, moving away from its current Israeli identity,” the team said in a statement.
“In sport, progress often requires sacrifice, and this step is essential to securing the future of the team. Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Sylvan Adams has chosen to step back from his day-to-day involvement and will no longer speak on behalf of the team, instead focusing on his role as President of the World Jewish Congress, Israel.”
In September La Vuelta was disrupted on multiple occasions as pro-Palestine activists launched protests against the team’s participation. Protesters stormed the route on multiple stages, getting in the riders’ way, halting races and causing crashes.
Adams, the team’s owner, will step back from day-to-day involvement
JACK GUEZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Stage 11 in the Basque city of Bilbao was cut short due to hundreds of protesters pushing down barriers at the finish line, forcing armed police to intervene. No winner was announced that day, with Britain’s Tom Pidcock of Q36.5 memorably passing under a banner as activists tried to stop the lead group. Again on stage 16 the day was cut short as activists protested near the finish line.
During the final stage into Madrid the peloton only managed 51km of the 108km before it was deemed unsafe to continue. No stage winner was awarded, and the podium celebrations were unable to go ahead with the top-three carrying out an improvised podium atop coolers in a hotel car park.
“Putting us in danger isn’t going to help your cause, that simply isn’t going to help what they’re protesting for,” Pidcock, 26, said. “Everyone has the right to protest for whatever they want but putting us in danger is not the way forward.”
Although IPT has no official affiliation with Israel, Adams has been a vocal supporter of Israel during its war in Gaza.
Despite La Vuelta organisers and even the Spanish government calling for the team to abandon the race, Israel-Premier Tech took a firm line, saying in a statement that the team was “committed to racing on at La Vuelta. Any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling not only for Israel-Premier Tech, but for all teams.” However, they removed the word “Israel” from their team jerseys for the remainder of the race.