Premier Tech will sponsor the St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 men’s and women’s cycling teams for the next two seasons.
The Canadian multi-national company revealed its new sponsorship deal yesterday, only 10 days after it announced the end of its partnership with Israel–Premier Tech.
As part of the sponsorship deal, Premier Tech says it will “notably support” the women’s ProTeam programme.
Three Canadian cyclists will join the women’s team for the 2026 season: Alison Jackson and Clara Émond will move from EF Education-Oatly, while Simone Boilard makes the switch from Uno-X Mobility.
“Partnering with Premier Tech marks a milestone for our team. We share a common vision: an inclusive, integrated cycling ecosystem driven by talent diversity. We are pleased to welcome Premier Tech and pursue this shared ambition,” says Charlie Nerzic, deputy general manager of the team.
Jean Bélanger, president and chief executive of Premier Tech, says: “This opportunity fully aligns with the reason why Premier Tech has been committed to cycling for over 30 years – building bridges across all levels of the sport and supporting the development of Québec and Canadian cyclists.”
Premier Tech sponsored Israel–Premier Tech from 2022, but it said in September that the team must change its name and state affiliation in order for its support to continue. Although Israel–Premier Tech said it would change its name, Premier Tech stepped down from sponsoring the team earlier this month.
“Although we took notice of the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the core reason for Premier Tech to sponsor the team has been overshadowed to a point where it has become untenable for us to continue as a sponsor,” Premier Tech said at the time.
Israel–Premier Tech was the target of protests throughout the 2025 cycling season, with demonstrators at the Vuelta a España labelling the team’s participation as “sportswashing”.
Several former riders also expressed relief this year at no longer riding for Israel Premier–Tech, in light of Israel’s war on Gaza. Derek Gee terminated his contract, citing “serious concerns related to racing for the team”.
The founder of Factor Bikes, Rob Gitelis, said Factor would end its sponsorship of Israel–Premier Tech if the team did not change its name.
Israel–Premier Tech applied for a WorldTour licence for the 2026 season with a placeholder name, and its new identity is expected to be announced shortly.
