Lots going on for Israel – Premier Tech—or whatever the soon-to-be WorldTour team for next year.
After Premier Tech pulled out, the team was apparently left blindsided—with less than two months before the start of the next season. In the first week of November, the Canadian company made the announcement. Premier Tech said the decision followed “multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances.” While noting the team’s planned name change for the 2026 season, the company said the move “overshadowed” the core reasons Premier Tech had originally chosen to sponsor the squad, making continued support “untenable.”
The rebrand
As the cycling world wondered if that was the end for the team—a leaked memo written by Israel – Premier Tech’s Kjell Carlström said otherwise. “Today, Premier Tech announced their intention to step down as co-title sponsor in 2026,” it read. “This announcement was not made in consultation with the team, which is why we were not in a position to inform internally prior to the announcement. We have many ongoing and exciting conversations with potential partners, and we expect to be able to update you all in the coming week.”
Around the same time, Premier Tech initially mentioned that if the team did not rebrand, sponsorship would be impossible to continue; so too did its bike supplier Factor. Factor founder Rob Gitelis told Cyclingnews he warned the team it must shed its Israeli identity if the partnership is to continue. “I have already indicated it to the team: without a name and flag change, we will not continue as a sponsor,” Gitelis said.
Factor factors in
Well, Factor stuck to its word, it seems, as IPT—or whatever it might be next year (rumours are swirling that Visit Rwanda may come on as a title sponsor, along with sprinter Biniam Girmay)—is out.
Instead, the rebranded team—which will not be registered in Israel, but perhaps Switzerland—will be riding Scott bikes, according to Daniel Benson. It was recently announced that Tom Pidcock’s (and Nick Zukowsky’s) Q3.65 team will be on Pinarello, not Scott.
OK, it’s not a total switcheroo, more of a partial.
Meanwhile, Factor will still be in the pro peloton. George Hincapie’s new endeavour, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, will ride Factor. Canadian Riley Pickrell is also making a lateral. He’s going from “The Team Formerly Known as…
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