Hugo Houle is sporting some new swag on Thursday. 2026 is here, so that means all the riders who have transferred can officially put on some new kit. For the Sainte-Perpétue, Que. veteran, that means Alpecin – Premier Tech outfits.

Premier Tech joined the team of Mathieu van der Poel after ceasing to sponsor the then Israel – Premier Tech squad (now NSN.) In November a surprise statement was released. The Quebec-base company said the decision followed “multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances.” While noting the team’s planned name change for the 2026 season, Premier Tech said the move “overshadowed” the core reasons it had originally chosen to sponsor the squad, making continued support “untenable.” PT will also co-sponsor the women’s team along with Felix.

Bring on 2026! 😎#AlpecinPremierTech #FenixPremierTech pic.twitter.com/G0AW5KevO5

— Alpecin – Premier Tech (@AlpecinPT) January 1, 2026

The other big news was the transfer of Hugo Houle. Of course, this was hardly the first time that the two followed each other. The same happened when Premier Tech left Astana to IPT, taking Houle.

“I’ve had a relationship with Premier Tech since 2017,” he said after the news was announced. “We built something strong together. When I joined Israel–Premier Tech, it was because the team approached me about creating a solid Canadian project, and [CEO] Jean Bélanger and I went in together. We had a good run. When Premier Tech decided to leave, the idea of continuing that relationship somewhere new felt natural.”

Houle isn’t the only Canadian on Alpecin – Premier Tech. Toronto’s Noah Ramsay will once again ride with the Continental team. But you’ll most likely see him racing up with the WorldTour team, just like he did–with some quite respectable results–in 2025.

Ramsay rode well at the Kreiz Breizh Elites, where he wore the points jersey, and finished 4th in the mountains classification and 7th in the points. Then, at the Région Pays de la Loire Tour—only his second stage race ever—he finished a very respectable 16th overall.

The new kit retains its striking blue–no denim this year. But with the two Canucks, there could have been a great opportunity to go full denim again, eh?