Beleaguered Israel-Premier Tech cycling team to rebrand in wake of recent protests

Founded 11 years ago as the Cycling Academy team, the squad became Israel-Premier Tech four years ago.

The team has extensive Canadian ties other than Adams.

Israel-Premier Tech is home to Canadian riders Michael Woods, Hugo Houle, Guillaume Boivin, Riley Pickrell and Pier-André Côté. Steve Bauer, the first Canadian to win a stage at the Tour de France, is the team’s sporting manager.

Woods, 38, recently announced this season will be his last a pro rider. Fellow Canadian Derek Gee is currently embroiled in a contract dispute with the team.

The team’s title sponsor, Premier Tech, is based in Rivière-du-Loup, Que.

Jean Bélanger, president and chief executive officer of Premier Tech, and fellow Canadian Kevin Ham, founder and CEO of Reinvent and Chit Chats Canada, are partners in the team.

The team “has experienced the highs and lows that come with professional sport, from the pure joy of seeing our riders win Tour de France stages to the challenge of relegation, and fighting back to the WorldTour. It is, and always has been, a sporting project,” the release added.

“The team takes pride in its achievements on the road, but even more so in the culture it has built within. This culture has been the foundation that enabled the team to overcome the challenges of recent months, standing firmly behind our riders and staff during an incredibly difficult period. Throughout this time, the team’s owners and management have recognized the need for change.

“With steadfast commitment to our riders, staff, and valued partners, the decision has been made to rename and rebrand the team. In sport, progress often requires sacrifice, and this step is essential to securing the future of the team.”

The team has been targeted by protests in recent months.

It announced last week that it was withdrawing from three upcoming one-day races in Italy due to security concerns. Its invitation to take part in last Saturday’s Giro dell’Emilia was withdrawn by organizers.

A Montreal-based human rights group asked Mayor Valérie Plante to bar the team from competing in last month’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal amid the war in Gaza, where aid workers say a famine is unfolding.

Palestinian and Jewish Unity, or PAJU, urged the City of Montreal to exclude the squad, whose riders were described by Adams as ambassadors for Israel. The team, which has referred to itself as simply a “professional cycling team” in response to protests, did take part in the race.

The Montreal demand followed recent calls in Spain for the team to withdraw from the Spanish Vuelta after a series of disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters during the three-week grand tour race.

The Vuelta protests prompted Israel-Premier Tech to change its riders’ uniforms at the race in favour of “team monogram-branded kit.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced his support for the team.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Beleaguered Israel-Premier Tech cycling team to rebrand in wake of recent protests

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