Israel Cycling Academy have revealed their new name and racing kit for their debut season at WorldTour level.
The team is making the step up from the Professional Continental ranks after taking over Katusha-Alpecin, and will become the first ever Israeli WorldTour squad in 2020.
With the ambition of taking the first Israeli rider to the Tour de France, Israel Cycling Academy has revealed its new title sponsor in the new name – Israel Start Up Nation.
Team co-owner Sylvan Adams, an Israeli-Canadian billionaire, said: “The dream of competing in the Tour de France, almost unthinkable only five years ago when we launched the team, is now coming true.
“A professional team with world-class Israeli riders alongside the finest international talents, racing with pride in one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. Viewers in hundreds of countries across the world will see the Israeli flag and hear the message that this is a country bringing unrivalled innovation to the world.”
Having raced under the name Israel Cycling Academy in the Continental and Pro Continental ranks, the team will welcome Tel Aviv-based non-profit organisation Start-up National Central, which connects Israeli businesses with multinational investors.
The team will include four Israeli riders – Itama Einhorn, Omer Goldstein, Guy Niv and Guy Sagiv – alongside Dan Martin, André Greipel and Alex Dowsett.
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In its WorldTour incarnation, the team will also carry the logo of the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation on their jerseys.
The centre, founded in 1996 by the late president of Israel Shimon Peres, aims to promote peace in the Middle East through economic and technological innovation.
Director of the Peres Centre, Efrat Duvdevani, said: “We deeply appreciate and are honoured that Israel Start Up Nation riders carry the symbol of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.
"We are confident that the riders will represent it with pride and honour and carry the values of peace and tolerance around the world in the world’s most important races.
"We ask you, the riders, to see the Peres Centre of Peace and Innovation as your home wherever you race."
Alongside the new name and kit, the team also launched a new Continental level team to help develop Israeli cycling talent.
Israel Cycling Academy will be made up of eight Israeli riders and eight riders from the rest of the world, serving as a feeder team to the WorldTour squad.
Israel Cycling Academy founder and co-owner Ron Baron said: “This team will ensure that we will still be giving the young riders the opportunity to develop and advance to the pro team.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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