Well, sometimes the knitting circle on the Internet is right. Canadian Cycling Magazine loves to follow the gossip about rider or sponsor transfers, and for a while there was chatter that Premier Tech might join Mathieu van der Poel’s and Puck Pieterse’s Alpecin/Fenix squads. It made sense after the Canadian company announced it would be dropping out of the beleaguered—and now totally rebranded—Israel–Premier Tech.
But shortly thereafter, Premier Tech announced it would be a main sponsor of the French team St Michel–Préfence Home–Auber93. An interesting observation at the time, however, was that the logo appeared on the jersey, but not in the team name. Some observers (ahem) wondered if that still left the door open for Premier Tech to be a naming sponsor of another team—something a company is only allowed to do with one team. For example, when Ineos Grenadiers partnered with TotalEnergies—already the namesake French team—the logo appeared on the kit, but not in the official name.
Amid Derek Gee saga, Guillaume Boivin re-signs with Israel – Premier Tech
On Friday, it became official: it’s Alpecin–Premier Tech. Another detail—something of a shock—is the transfer of Hugo Houle. This isn’t the first time Premier Tech has followed the Sainte-Perpétue, Que. rider. When he did a lateral from Astana to IPT, Premier Tech came along for the ride.
Hugo Houle joins Israel Start-up Nation
Questions linger. Could the rebrand have opened the door for easier transfers? Will Derek Gee be freer to sign elsewhere (Ineos?) and avoid that pesky $30-million lawsuit? (Canadian Cycling Magazine has reached out to both riders for comment.) Houle joins the other Canadian, Noah Ramsay, who rides for the Continental team. (Although the Toronto rider rode up several times on the WorldTour team, with some respectable results.)
“We are incredibly proud and excited to announce that Premier Tech will join our structure as second naming partner from 2026 onward, supporting both our Men’s and Women’s WorldTeams as well as our Development Teams,” an Instagram post read. “The Canadian company, founded in 1923 and active in more than 30 countries, specializes in horticulture products, water treatment solutions, and industrial automation systems. With a rich history and genuine commitment to cycling, combined with their continuous ambition to help shape the sport’s future, we are confidently stepping into a new and strong chapter together.”
Premier Tech has signed a three-year agreement, with an option for an additional three years.