“We want to be competitive and win races,” said team manager Ran Margaliot in September. Five other riders are from Israel.įor riders and staff on the team, however, those labels and slogans don’t mean much when it comes joining together to race bikes.
Among 10 new arrivals are Ben Hermans (BMC Racing), Ruben Plaza (Orica-Scott), and Kristian Sbaragli (Dimension Data), all three from WorldTour teams. The team has picked up a few key established pros to help it in its bid to earn a Giro wild-card start. Marketing campaigns aside, new signings for 2018 give the team a stronger footing across the European calendar. “The power of our ICA project is to bring this diverse group together to ride under our Israeli colors in pursuit of common goals.” “Our athletes understand that being on an Israeli team, they are each ambassadors for the team’s home country,” said Sylvan Adams, one of the team’s owners. Team officials were keen to promote the idea that the racers will also serve as ambassadors of a new Israel. The team’s ambitions have since grown with the arrival of new backers to also serve as a chance for Israel to tell a different side of its story often unseen by the wider public.Īt the Giro d’Italia presentation last month in Jerusalem, Giro and Israeli officials confirmed the opening stages for the 2018 Giro. It was originally built to develop racing in Israel and promote its homegrown talent. Mixing bikes, religion, and diverse nationalities might appear toxic at first glance, but erasing those barriers via bicycle racing is one of the principal concepts behind the Israel Cycling Academy project. We have the opportunity to excite and inspire people, and to change the world around us.” “The Academy does not see itself as just a cycling team, I don’t see myself just as a cyclist. “The fact that a Turkish cyclist is competing side by side with Israeli cyclists and others from around the world, and striving together for victory sends a message of coexistence and peace to all,” Örken said. Having all three major religions under one banner is an important symbolic gesture. Katusha’s Ilnur Zakarin is one of the few at the WorldTour level. There are not many Muslims racing at the elite level.
BRANDS PRO CYCLING MANAGER 2018 TRIAL
In September, the team announced it signed Turkish national time trial champion Ahmet Örken, a practicing Muslim who will race on the Israeli-backed team.
They hope to incorporate more Arab and Palestinian riders in the coming seasons. Officials confirmed they have signed an 18-year-old Druze rider for its development team. It’s targeting a start in the Giro d’Italia - almost a guarantee with the Giro starting in Jerusalem - but it’s also trying to use cycling as a means to break down barriers.
BRANDS PRO CYCLING MANAGER 2018 PROFESSIONAL
As Israel’s first professional cycling team, the squad has been breaking ground since its founding in 2015 as it tries to create a toehold for the sport in Israel.įor next season, the team wants to raise the bar even more.
The Pro Continental team was already unique before unveiling its 2018 lineup Thursday. How many teams feature riders who are Christian, Jewish, and Muslim all under the same banner? Israel Cycling Academy might be the first. The team’s 22-rider line-up includes riders from five continents and 16 countries, representing the world’s three major monotheistic religions. Yet Israel Cycling Academy is taking it to a new level in 2018. Most WorldTour teams pack nearly a dozen passports on their respective rosters. Is Israel Cycling Academy the peloton’s most diverse team? It’s selling itself that way.Ĭycling went global more than a decade ago. Get access to everything we publish when you
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