Former Israel-Premier Tech cyclist Jakob Fuglsang has said he feels a sense of relief at no longer wearing the team’s jersey, stating it’s “nicer to ride around without an Israel logo than with it”.
The two-time Critérium du Dauphiné winner and Liège–Bastogne–Liège champion retired in May and rode his last race, the Frederiksberg Criterium, last Sunday. After the race, he spoke to Danish outlet Feltet and said: “It's of course nicer to be without. I don't want to get involved in what's happening politically, but it's definitely nicer to ride around without an Israel logo than with it.”
The 40-year-old Dane added that he had not had any problems with planned protests targeted at Israel-Premier Tech during big races.
“I haven’t actually experienced that. With or without Israel-PremierTech at the start, there would still have been demonstrations. You also see climate demonstrations during the Tour de France. These are big events where there is a lot of media attention. That said, it's better to ride without,” he told Feltet.
Fuglsang’s remarks follow former teammate Alessandro de Marchi stating in July he was “happy and relieved” not to be cycling for Israel-Premier Tech.
De Marchi, who moved to Jayco-AlUla in 2023, told The Observer he would no longer feel comfortable riding for Israel-Premier Tech due to Israel's continued war on Gaza.
“I would have really struggled to be there now and been in great difficulty,” said De Marchi.
De Marchi rode for Israel-Premier Tech between 2021 and 2022. He said the team “gave me a chance to keep riding” and that he was “looking at the house I had to build and my family”.
“Of course now I am older and able to reflect in a way I didn’t five years ago, and I appreciate that in life there are times that, though it may be hard, it’s better to follow your morals. Right now I would do things in a different way,” he added.
Fuglsang and De Marchi’s comments come after the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for peaceful protests at this year’s Grand Tours.
“As Israel escalates its ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza and its violent military occupation of the West Bank, international sporting bodies have a moral obligation to take all measures to prevent genocide, or risk being held criminally liable,” the BDS movement said.
Protests were visible at the Tour de France, with those present waving Palestine flags and unfurling banners as the Tour rode through Dieulefit on Wednesday 23 July.
An activist from Extinction Rebellion was also arrested in Toulouse after running onto the final straight of stage 11 with a T-shirt that read 'Israel out of the Tour' while waving a keffiyeh scarf.
Israel-Premier Tech was founded in 2014 and is co-owned by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, who has referred to himself as “self-appointed ambassador at large for the State of Israel”. Adams has described Israel’s invasion of Palestine as “good vs. evil and civilization against barbarism”.
Ron Baron, the team’s other co-owner, has described Israel–Premier Tech as a form of “sports diplomacy”.
Israel-Premier Tech declined to comment.
