Factor Bikes is set to become the latest sponsor to leave Israel-Premier Tech, according to reports, following a season marred by protests against the team.
First reported by journalist Daniel Benson on his Substack, the bike brand is said to have terminated its deal with the Israeli team. Benson also reported that, per his sources, bikes from the Swiss brand Scott have been spotted at the team’s service course in Girona, Spain.
Factor has been Israel-Premier Tech’s equipment sponsor since 2020.
In September, Factor founder Rob Gitelis told Cyclingnews that he had put pressure on the team to rebrand following the protests. “I’ve already told the team: without a name change, without a flag change, we won’t continue,” Gitelis said.
"It's not a matter of right or wrong anymore," he said. "It's become too controversial around our brand, and my responsibility is to my employees and my shareholders, to give them maximum space with which to grow this company and make it profitable. Adding additional level of conflict or complexity, we just can't accept that any more.”
The team announced last month that it will be renamed and rebranded, “moving away from its current Israeli identity”, from 2026. The team’s co-owner Sylvan Adams, who has previously called himself a “self-appointed ambassador-at-large for Israel”, will also step back from his day-to-day involvement with the team.
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