After months of rampant speculation, and the loss of former title sponsor Premier Tech, the furture of Israel-Premier Tech is now clear. Meet NSN Cycling Team.

NSN, a sports entertainment company (“NSN” stands for “Never Say Never”) is partnering with Stoneweg, a Swiss investment platform based in Geneva to take over the WorldTour and development teams of IPT.

The team will be registered as a Swiss team, but its will largely operate out of Barcelona and Girona. NSN could see a home Tour de France start in 2026, with the Grand Départ scheduled for Barcelona.

A fresh start, a new era

With significant changes to the team’s sponsorship and organization, NSN is hoping for a fresh start going into the 2026 season.

“We are proud to welcome NSN and Stoneweg to the team and announce our new name and identity: NSN Cycling Team,” says NSN Cycling Team general manager Kjell Carlström. “NSN’s acquisition of the team licence, and subsequent role in the team’s operations, is an opportunity to welcome investment from an industry leader in global sports and entertainment. Drawing on their wealth of experience to the benefit of the team and our partners.”

“NSN shares our commitment to innovation, development and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in cycling. Our longterm relationship with Stoneweg acts as a foundation for this new partnership and together, we have ambitious goals for the coming WorldTour cycle,” Carlström adds. “This is an incredibly exciting new chapter for the team, and we can’t wait to make our debut as NSN Cycling Team.”

NSN has, in its seven-year existence, focused on soccerand music in its audiovisual, marketing, brand and talent management. In 2025, NSN organized a series of seven friendly matches involving major football clubs around the world.

NSN’s big(ger) move into cycling

WorldTour will be relatively new for the brand, but it does own a majority stake in Guava, a gravel bike brand. This past season, St. Catharines, Ont., rider Benjamin Perry rode on the Guava Skid Crew. He was on Israel Cycling Academy from 2017 to 2020.

“It is a huge challenge for NSN to immerse ourselves in the world of cycling, a sport with global reach,” NSN president and founder Joel Borràs said. “It represents a fantastic opportunity to explore new ways of communicating and connecting with a sport that aligns with the values of our company. For the NSN Cycling Team to bring fresh passion to a sport that has inspired millions of people for many years. We want to thank Stoneweg for all the support they have given us in driving this exciting project, which opens up a new and thrilling path for us in the world of sport. We could not have found a better partner to give this team a renewed boost.”

Stoneweg has had involvement with the team since 2023. It steps into a title sponsorship for 2026.

New-look team starts next week

NSN Cycling Team will meet for its first pre-season training camp next week. An official kit and race program will follow soon after. A representative from the the team has said that the current roster shown on ProCyclingStats is accurate. The outfit continues to include Canadians Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Houle and Pier-André Côté.

Several questions remain unresolved, of course, such as the presence, or absence, of Osgoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee who was in the midst of a contract dispute with IPT. As well as multi-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, whose contract expired at 2025.

IPT owner Sylvain Adams—the Israeli-Canadian tied to much of the controversy that surrounded the team in 2025—was also not mentioned in the team’s recent announcement, keeping with his plan to step away from the squad.

An equipment sponsor is also not announced, leaving rumours about the involvement of Factor and, apparently, Scott unresolved.

It also remains to be seen whether the rebrand will be sufficient to appease the teams critics, including race organziers who have threatened to pull back from events over Israel-Premier Tech’s involvement.