Registered: Israel
Founded: 2014
Photos: Israel Start-Up Nation
Israel Start-Up Nation was formed in 2014, as Israel Cycling Academy.
The aim at the start was to develop young riders from all over the world, with an obvious focus on Israel.
Czech rider, Daniel Turek (Israel Cycling Academy Continental Team), took the team’s first victory in the 2015 Tour of Azerbaijan.
It was in 2018 where the team really pushed into the big races with a wild card to their first Monument, Milan – San Remo and their first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia, as the Giro was starting in Jerusalem that year.
Co-owner of the team, Sylvan Adams, played a big part in getting the Giro to Israel as he wanted to get the local public interested in cycling. It worked as the roads saw thousands of spectators come out and watch the race.
ISUN performed well at the Grand Tour with their best placed rider, veteran Spanish climber Ruben Plaza, finishing the race in 18th place in the general classification. Guy Sagiv also become the first ever Israeli rider to finish a Grand Tour.
New man, Ben Hermans, who had signed from BMC Racing, won the overall at the Tour of Austria plus a stage win.
The team also won the Great War Remembrance Race with Estonian national road race champion, Mihkel Räim.
The next year saw the team grow to 30 riders and a much larger racing calendar.
In January 2019 the team opened three cycling special youth programmes in Israel along with a youth cycling team.
The team operates a Development team with a select group of under-23 riders in an attempt to develop more talented Israeli riders.
Alongside this, ISUN have established a deal with one of the leading French amateur teams, Côte d’Armor, which allows its young riders to race in France and gain valuable experience overseas.
Climber Ben Hermans had a great year in 2019, with his stand out performance being at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, where he put in a commanding display and winning the overall.
Ben Hermans wins the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah 2019 (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The Belgian also retained his title at the Tour of Austria.
Italian sprinter, Davide Cimolai, put in some great performances too with wins across multiple races.
In October of 2019 Israel Cycling Academy announced they would merge with the UCI WorldTour team, Katusha – Alpecin and move up to the top tier of cycling.
The UCI approved the move up to WorldTour and the team changed it’s name to Israel Start-Up Nation.
Along with the name change, some big name signing were brought in. André Greipel and Dan Martin both signed from Lotto-Soudal and UAE Team Emirates.
The team also kept on some key riders from the Katusha – Alpecin team, such as time trialing specialist, Alex Dowsett and young Classics star, Nils Politt, who had managed a second place at Paris-Roubaix earlier that year.
The 2020 season started brightly for the team as French sprinter, Rudy Barbier, managed to out pace some of the finest sprinters in the world to stage victory at the Vuelta a San Juan.
Hugo Hofstetter continued the success for French sprinters at the cobbled classic, Le Samyn, where he took victory.
Hugo Hofstetter of Israel Start-Up Nation takes the win at the 2020 Le Samyn. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
In July 2020, it was announced that seven-time Grand Tour winner, Chris Froome, would join the team from the start of the 2021 season until the end of his career.
Alongside Froome, signings of Daryl Impey, Michael Woods, Sep Vanmarke and others have meant that the squad has a solid, if a little older, look to it in 2021.
Chris Froome training in California (Photos: Ronen Topelberg and Brian VeloImages)
Official Website: israelcyclingacademy.com/
Twitter feed: @YallaIsraelSUN
Facebook page: Facebook.com/IsraelCyclingAcademy
Michael Woods crashed in the closing kilometres of the third stage at the Tour of the Basque Country 2021 where he went down with Wilco Kelderman close to the front of the peloton
Michael Woods has committed to going carbon neutral in 2021 as well as help educate himself and others in the sport.
Chris Froome and his team-mates are “fully focussed on the training” during their intensive altitude camp on Tenerife, according to their coach.
Cherie Pridham didn’t have to wait long before celebrating her first victory as a WorldTour sports director.
Mads Würtz Schmidt took stage six victory after out-sprinting the rest of his breakaway partners after the break managed to hold off the peloton all the way to the line
Chris Froome has explained his motivation behind changing teams at the end of 2020, saying “Ineos have been winning Grand Tours for years, this is something new.”
The seven-time Grand Tour winner has been putting in the hard yards in California for several months now since his career-threatening crash in 2019
The best Grand Tour rider of his generation, Chris Froome still believes he can contend on the biggest stages despite long-term injury and taking a step down the cycling hierarchy from Ineos to Israel Start-Up Nation
Mike Woods says he believes older riders can still compete with younger revelations like Marc Hirschi and Tadej Pogačar.
ris Froome said retiring after his 2019 crash “would have been the easier option,” but added it wasn’t the way he wanted to finish his cycling career.
Chris Froome says riding with the same team felt like “copy and pasting year after year,” as he embarks on his first season with Israel Start-Up Nation.
Chris Froome misses Israel Start-Up Nation's first training camp of 2021 to focus on training and rehab in California as he builds towards the Tour de France
Chris Froome has announced his first race with his new Israel Start Up Nation team, as he starts his 2021 season in South America.
Cherie Pridham will become the first woman to take up a role as sports director in a men’s WorldTour team, as she joins Israel Start-Up Nation.
Victor Campenaerts says Alex Dowsett has a 50 per cent chance of beating his Hour Record in Manchester on December 12 2020
Alex Dowsett will ride in support of Chris Froome, as he has extended his contract with Israel Start-Up Nation.
Dan Martin of Israel Start-Up Nation says he "can't wait" to be on the same team as Chris Froome in 2021
Dan Martin of Israel Start-Up Nation took stage three of the Vuelta a España 2020 in an uphill sprint finish between the favourites with Primož Roglič of Jumbo-Visma keeping red.
Classics specialist Sep Vanmarcke is leaving EF Pro Cycling after four seasons, joining Israel Start-Up Nation from next year.
Alex Dowsett has reflected on a tough year after taking a huge win from a breakaway in the Giro d’Italia.
André Greipel has abandoned the Tour de France 2020.
Israel Start-Up Nation has been handed its first doping ban since becoming a WorldTour outfit.
Michael Woods will be leaving EF Pro Cycling to become Chris Froome’s “right hand man” at Israel Start-Up Nation.
The multiple South African champion said he was called by Froome to sign for the four-time Tour de France winners new team
