First riders make move from Katusha-Alpecin to Israel Cycling Academy

The Israeli team will take over Katusha-Alpecin's WorldTour licence for the 2020 season

Katusha-Alpecin and Israel Cycling Academy (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The first riders have moved over from Katusha-Alpecin to Israel Cycling Academy following the team's take over of Katusha's WorldTour licence ahead of the 2020 season.

Rick Zabel and Mads Würtz Schmidt were under contract with Katusha for 2020, but will now move to the Israeli outfit. They are the 13th and 14th riders from the 23-man team to find a new squad, having both spent the last three years with the Russian outfit.

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Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.


Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).


I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.