Factor to leave rebranded Israel-Premier Tech as sponsors flee team

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.

The news comes two weeks after title sponsor Premier Tech, a Canadian waste water management company, announced it was stepping down with immediate effect. The company has since revealed it will back French ProTour team St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 for the next two seasons.

Israel-Premier Tech was the subject of a series of protests this season in response to Israel’s war in Gaza. The squad was targeted particularly at the Vuelta a España, where four stages were shortened, including two where no winner was declared. It was then disinvited from October’s Giro dell’Emilia due to safety concerns.

Factor has been Israel-Premier Tech’s equipment sponsor since 2020.

Asked for comment on this story, a spokesperson from the bike brand told Cycling Weekly: "Factor Bikes has no announcement at this time and does not comment on rumours or speculation."

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.

The team is set to step up to the WorldTour in 2026, having finished within the top 19 teams over the last three-year cycle. It is unknown what name it will bear from next season, or what nationality its licence will hold.

More than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the United Nations, after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 2023 saw more than 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage.

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer and been host of the TT Podcast. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.