Israel Cycling Team Continues Despite Sponsor Loss

Canadian company Premier Tech abruptly ended its co-title sponsorship of Israel-Premier Tech on Friday in the latest hurdle for the embattled team still reeling from a protest-marred season.

The split follows months of demonstrations against the team’s Israeli identity and comes as the squad prepares to erase “Israel” from its name for the 2026 season.

Those steps were not enough for Premier Tech — a Canadian packaging and processing company — to stay on board.

“Although we took notice of the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the core reason for Premier Tech to sponsor the team has been overshadowed to a point where it has become untenable for us to continue as a sponsor,” a note read Friday.

The departure caps a turbulent season marked by unprecedented demonstrations directed at the team at races across Europe, where protesters targeted the squad over its Israeli ties and accused it of “sportswashing” the Gaza war.

Sources close to the team told Velo on Friday, however, that Premier Tech’s departure will not have a direct impact on the team’s financial stability as it prepares to rejoin the UCI WorldTour in 2026.

Contracts with incoming and current team riders will remain, sources confirmed to Velo.

Adams, a Canadian-Israeli billionaire, has largely been underwriting much of the team’s budget since he joined the ownership team in 2017.

Sponsor departure ‘taking effect immediately’

In the aftermath of unprecedented protests, team owner Sylvan Adams already promised to remove Israel from the team logo going into 2026.

Last month, the team said it would rename and rebrand for the 2026 season, “moving away from its current Israeli identity.”

The often-outspoken Adams also promises to take a step back from the limelight as the team tries to move into a new season with a fresh look.

Friday’s confirmation revealed those steps were not enough to keep Premier Tech on board.

Premier Tech acknowledged the team’s ongoing rebranding process but said political controversy overwhelmed its original goals of backing cycling.

“After multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances, Premier Tech has decided to step down as co-title sponsor of the team taking effect immediately,” a note read.

In a brief response, team officials declined to comment directly on the sponsor’s withdrawal.

“The team is unable to comment on the announcement made by Premier Tech. However, as sponsor discussions continue to take place, with existing and potential partners, the team is as motivated as ever for the coming season,” a team note read to Velo.

“An announcement regarding the new team identity and its sponsors is expected in the coming weeks.”

Name unknown in return to WorldTour

The departure comes just as the team looks poised to return to the WorldTour league in 2026 after racing at the ProTeam level the past three seasons.

As of now, the team remains without an official name or confirmed title sponsor for next season.

The team’s roster is about 25 riders, so there is room to sign a few more to push toward the 30-rider WorldTour limit for 2026.

Exiting riders include Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA-CGM) and Pascal Ackermann (Jayco-AlUla), while Jakob Fulgsang and Michael Woods are retiring.

Chris Froome is not expected to continue racing after a heavy crash this fall, while Derek Gee is in an ongoing legal battle that could be worth up to $30 million to break his contract.

Among the new arrivals for the coming season are Lewis Askey, who joins from Groupama-FDJ, and Ryan Mullen, arriving from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

The team also promotes Brady Gilmore and Pau Martí from its development squad Israel-Premier Tech Academy, while Alessandro Pinarello signs on from VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.

Premier Tech — which helped promote such Canadian stars as Woods, Gee and Hugo Houle — stressed its exit does not mark a retreat from cycling entirely.

“We want each of these stakeholders to feel enthusiastic and proud to be associated with Premier Tech,” the company wrote, reaffirming its long-term commitment to supporting Canadian and Québec riders.

“Supporting the growth of the sport, alongside the development of Québec and Canadian cyclists, is at the heart of this commitment, and will remain so in the future.”

The move is the latest in what’s been a rollercoaster WorldTour men’s rider market for 2025-2026.

Arkéa B&B Hotels is shuttering, and Lotto-Intermarché Wanty are in lengthy merger talks that could leave dozens without contracts.