Former hostage Ofer Calderon joins the Israeli cycling team at the Tour de France in Paris, July 27, 2025. (Photo: Screenshot)<\/p>\n
Former Israeli hostage Ofer Calderon<\/a> spent 484 long days in Hamas captivity in Gaza before being released this past January. On Sunday, Calderon \u2013 an avid cyclist \u2013 accompanied the Israel Premier Tech pro-cycling team at the prestigious Tour de France competition. His journey from the dark Gaza tunnels to the upbeat biking experience along the famous Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es in Paris stands as a powerful testament to human resilience against all odds.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I was in captivity, I imagined myself riding. I knew those trails by heart. I could see them,\u201d Calderon said in the lobby of a luxurious hotel in Paris. Hailing from a rural Israeli community near the Gaza border, he admitted that he had never visited the city before.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a kibbutznik,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019ve traveled a bit in Europe, but never to France,.\u201d<\/p>\n The co-owners of Israel Premier Tech , Sylvan Adams and Ronny Braun, invited Calderon to the prestigious biking competition.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Ofer was still in Gaza, we felt he was part of our cycling family,\u201d Adams explained, referring to Calderon\u2019s passion for cycling.<\/p>\n \u201cI said then, publicly, that when he returned, we\u2019d bring him to the Tour. When he was freed, I called and told him personally: \u2018It\u2019s official.\u2019 This moment is emotional \u2013 but we won\u2019t celebrate until they\u2019re all back,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cI started getting emotional near the Arc de Triomphe,\u201d Calderon revealed. \u201cIt\u2019s overwhelming \u2013 so immense. But my emotions are complicated. People I was with are still there. Until they\u2019re free, nothing feels whole. These feelings keep colliding inside me.\u201d <\/p>\n Calderon said he hopes to raise greater awareness for the hostages through his passion for cycling.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t fully entered the public fight yet \u2013 it\u2019s still hard. But I do what I can, mostly through sport.\u201d \u201cIt gives me so much. So much air. So much hope. Freedom. One of the hardest parts of captivity was losing freedom. Every choice was taken from me. But now? There\u2019s light. Space. Nature,\u201d Calderon said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In February, Israeli cycling star Mikhail Yakovlev honored Calderon by dedicating his silver medal to the former hostage at the World Jewish Sports Museum in Kfar Maccabiah near Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n “I want to dedicate this medal to Ofer Calderon, a cyclist who was held captive by Hamas and has finally returned home. I hope we can all ride together soon,” Yakovlev said<\/a>.<\/p>\n
He views biking as a symbol for freedom and hope.<\/p>\n