Following rumours that began circulating in November, Scott confirmed today that it will supply bikes to NSN Cycling Team as part of a multi-year sponsorship deal.
The deal is part of NSN Cycling Team’s “exciting new era”, according to Scott, which follows its troubled period as Israel–Premier Tech and the November announcement that NSN and Stoneweg had taken over the team.
Previous bicycle supplier Factor was rumoured to have left Israel–Premier Tech after Scott arrived at the team’s service course in Girona last month. Scott’s announcement today confirms the switch in bicycle suppliers for NSN Cycling Team, and its return to the WordTour.
“It is a privilege to support NSN Cycling Team and a roster of athletes, staff and sponsors united in their ambition and pursuit of excellence,” said Pascal Ducrot, co-CEO of Scott. “With our long racing heritage, we celebrate Scott’s return to the UCI WorldTour with the team, where our world-class products will support these talented athletes to perform on the sport’s biggest stages.”
As well as gaining a WorldTour license, NSN Cycling Team’s ambition is evident in its signing of sprinter Biniam Girmay on a three-year contract through to 2028. The team said signing the 25-year-old Eritrean signals its “commitment to winning” and that it would add depth to the team’s roster of “young and ambitious riders”.
The sponsorship deal also keeps Scott Bikes in the men’s pro peloton, after Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team announced a partnership with Pinarello, which will now provide Tom Pidcock with bikes for his on- and off-road racing.
Israel–Premier Tech rebranded as NSN Cycling Team in November with the international sports and entertainment company NSN (Never Say Never) and Stoneweg, a global investment platform based in Geneva, Switzerland, entering a “joint venture” to take over the team. NSN Cycling Team will now race under a Swiss licence with a base in Spain.
The change in ownership, name and racing licence followed a season where Israel–Premier Tech’s affiliation with Israel came under great scrutiny in light of Israel’s war on Gaza. This culminated in protests at the Vuelta a España, where several stages were cut short, and demonstrators labelled the team’s participation as “sportswashing”.
As a result of this pressure, sponsors Premier Tech and Factor Bikes said Israel–Premier Tech must change its name and end its affiliation with Israel for their sponsorship to continue.
But despite the team agreeing to do this in October, Premier Tech still left the team in November. The Canadian company said sponsoring the team had become “untenable” and later announced that it would sponsor St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 for the next two seasons.
Factor Bikes did not officially announce that it was ending its sponsorship of the team, yet Scott’s sponsorship of NSN Cycling Team confirms its exit.
When BikeRadar asked Factor for comment on the end of its sponsorship of the team, despite it meeting the requirements for continued sponsorship, a spokesperson said the brand has “no announcement at this time”.
