Has Maggie Coles-Lyster found a new team in Israel Premier Tech Roland? The reigning national champion recently left the troubled Spanish squad, following a few dramatic months.
Apparently, the team went through some financial problems this season and members of the team were anxious and unhappy. Riders weren’t paid, promises weren’t kept and it resulted in several cyclists leaving the team. The first was French national champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot who went to Human Powered Health just before Paris-Roubaix. Emotions were high for her former teammates, Cordon-Ragot was seen hugging many of her former teammates before the race.
ZAAF was not Coles-Lyster’s first choice, in fact. Originally, she was supposed to ride for B&B Hotels. The French squad exploded before it could even begin the season and riders on both the men’s and women’s division found themselves scrambling to find a new ride.
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She commented about the reasons for leaving her team on Instagram. “Wow these past six months have been stressful. From B&B Hotels to ZAAF Cycling Team it’s felt like a whirlwind of highs and lows, stress, excitement of being back racing in Europe and lots of question marks,” Coles-Lyster posted. “Due to worsening issues and conditions on ZAAF Cycling Team, I could no longer keep racing for them.”
On Friday, her name appeared on the UCI website listed with Israel-Premier Tech Roland, that, although Swiss-based, has the same backing as the WorldTour team, Israel-Premier Tech.
Canadian Cycling Magazine reached out to the team. A representative was unable to provide further information at the time. However, since her name appears on the website, it is probable that there will be an announcement soon, which would be great news for the British Columbia rider.
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