Canadian professional cyclist Derek Gee says he is facing a €30 million damages claim from Israel-Premier Tech after attempting to terminate his contract with the team, which will change its name and branding for 2026 after being the subject of several pro-Palestine protests this season.
In a statement issued on social media on Thursday, Gee defended his decision to leave Israel-Premier Tech with three years remaining on his contract, citing an “irreparable relationship” with the team and “serious concerns” about continuing racing in the squad’s colours, from both a safety and “personal-belief standpoint that weighed heavily on my conscience”.
Earlier this week, after months of controversy, Israel-Premier Tech announced that it will change its name and identity from the start of the 2026 season, with owner Sylvan Adams also stepping back from day-to-day involvement and “no longer speak[ing] on behalf of the team”.
The move came after the team was subject to several protests in recent months concerning its links to the state of Israel and the squad’s involvement in cycling’s biggest races amid the conflict in Gaza, described by the United Nations as a genocide.
These pro-Palestine demonstrations, which also took place at this year’s Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, reached a frenzied crescendo at a chaotic, turbulent Vuelta a España last month, where the team was forced to ride in jerseys without reference to ‘Israel’.
Pro-Palestine protests in Madrid, 2025 Vuelta (credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
The Spanish grand tour saw activists run onto the road, roads blocked, clashes between police and protesters, and stage finishes abruptly cancelled, including on the final day in Madrid, where several mass protests spilled over into street violence.
Gee, who finished fourth at this year’s Giro d’Italia, was due to race the Vuelta for Israel-Premier Tech but was withdrawn from the team’s line-up at the last minute.
On the eve of the race, Israel-Premier Tech revealed that they were “unexpectedly issued a notice of termination” from lawyers representing Gee in early August, despite the 28-year-old having signed a five-year extension in 2023 tying him to the squad until the end of 2028.
Gee later responded by confirming that he had terminated his contract and claiming that “certain issues simply made my continuation at the team untenable”. And with Israel-Premier Tech continuing to maintain that his contract is still valid until 2028, the case is currently being considered by the UCI.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Gee expanded on his reasons for leaving the team, defended his reasons for unilaterally terminating his long-term deal, and revealed the serious financial penalty he now potentially faces for such a decision.
Derek Gee, stage 11, 2024 Tour de France (credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
“I would like to address and clarify some speculation regarding my current situation, following recent public statements made by my former team that my case is currently with the UCI arbitral board,” the Canadian champion, who last raced in June on his way to winning his national title, posted on social media.
“I know many people have been expecting an update, and while I cannot comment on any ongoing proceedings, I feel it is very important to share my side of the story.
“I terminated my contract with just cause, as is every person’s right when they are unable to continue performing their work under the existing circumstances.
“This decision was not taken lightly – it followed an irreparable relationship with the team principal, as well as serious concerns related to racing for the team, both from a safety and personal belief standpoint that weighed heavily on my conscience.”
He continued: “But what moves me most is how, when human issues are involved, money becomes the headline; money was not the issue that led to my termination. Leaving has meant the risk of having no team or protection if I get injured without contract. It is a risk I was – and am still willing – to take, as I was simply unable to continue racing for the team.
“I understand the team sees it differently, and that this will be for the competent authorities to decide; however, I am now facing what I understand to be a damages claim said to exceed approximately 30 million euros – for doing nothing more than exercising my fundamental rights as a professional and a person.
“These are not the kind of numbers, or the kind of situation, any athlete expects when they dream of becoming a professional cyclist, and I believe it flies in the face of the very values that sport seeks to uphold. These actions are also a reflection of the very issues that led to the breakdown of the relationship to begin with.
“It strengthens my belief that leaving the team was the right decision, regardless of the recent announcement of branding changes and cosmetic structural shifts.”
When approached for comment by road.cc, a spokesperson for Israel-Premier Tech said: “Derek Gee’s contract termination case is currently before the UCI Arbitral Board. For this reason, the team is unable to comment on the matter.”
Derek Gee, stage 20, 2025 Giro d’Italia (credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Gee began his professional career with the UCI ProTeam in 2023, stepping up from its Israel Cycling Academy development squad.
After a breakthrough ride at the 2023 Giro d’Italia, where he finished second on four stages, he has since gone on to become one of the team’s most successful riders.
He won a stage at last year’s Critérium du Dauphiné before finishing ninth at his debut Tour de France later that summer. In 2025, he won a stage and the overall at O Gran Camiño in Spain and finished fourth overall at the Giro, his best grand tour GC performance to date, with his last race coming in June at the Canadian national road race championships, which he won.
Gee’s decision to leave Israel-Premier Tech mid-contract has fuelled speculation, first reported by Daniel Benson, that he is heading to the Ineos Grenadiers, where former team principal Dave Brailsford has returned to lead a new recruitment drive ahead of the 2026 season.
If Gee’s contract termination is upheld by the UCI, he will join a number of high-profile riders set to leave the squad this winter, including promising American Matthew Riccitello and the retiring Michael Woods.
In August, before news of Gee’s situation emerged, Danish pro Jakob Fuglsang, who retired earlier this year after spending the last three and a half years of his career with the team, said it was “definitely nicer to ride without an Israel logo than with it”.
Meanwhile, Jayco-AlUla rider Alessandro De Marchi, who represented IPT in 2021 and 2022, similarly told the Observer he was “happy and relieved” not to race for the squad anymore, before calling on the UCI to “show that as a cycling world we care about human rights and international law violations”.
“We need to see real action from our governing body to position the cycling world on the right side and to show awareness of what’s going on in Gaza,” De Marchi said.
Nevertheless, on Friday morning, the squad announced that four riders, George Bennett, Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Hofstetter, and Nick Schultz, had agreed contract extensions, tying them to the team until at least the end of 2026.
Israel-Premier Tech ride past Palestine flags, stage 11, 2025 Vuelta (credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Those extensions were confirmed in the same week that Israel-Premier Tech, amid mounting pressure from sponsors and stakeholders, confirmed it will “rename and rebrand” ahead of the 2026 season, a move the team says is essential to securing its long-term future in the sport.
Emphasising that the team “is, and always has been, a sporting project”, IPT said in a statement: “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. 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.”
Despite what its name and branding, at least until the end of 2025, might suggest – especially in a sport where Bahrain and the UAE also serve as title sponsors – Israel-Premier Tech is not officially state-owned.
Instead, it was founded by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Adams, one of Canada’s biggest real estate investors, who emigrated to Israel in 2015.
Nevertheless, the squad has received some funding from Israel’s ministry for tourism and Adams – who attended Donald Trump’s inauguration, encouraged US attacks on Iran in June, and called on Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza – has described the team as “ambassadors” for Israel and a means of promoting a “more realistic vision” of modern Israel.