‘I wouldn’t sign a contract with Israel’ - De Marchi criticises Israel-Premier Tech
The Jayco-AlUla rider had two seasons at the Israeli team but now says he has educated himself about alleged human rights breaches and would not sign with them again.
Veteran racer Alessandro De Marchi has said he would not sign a contract with Israel-Premier Tech now, after studying the history of the current crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The Italian, who now rides for Jayco-Alula, was with the team for two seasons, joining the squad in 2021 and made the statement in an interview published in The Observer last week.
“I would have really struggled to be there now and been in great difficulty,” he said. “I won’t criticise anyone riding there because everyone is free to decide, but right now I wouldn’t sign a contract with Israel. I wouldn’t be able to manage the feelings I have, to be able to be involved in something like that.”
Aged 39, De Marchi has been a professional since 2010, racing in WorldTour teams from 2013 when he joined Cannondale, and will retire at the end of the season.
For professional riders, finding teams and the imperative of working, earning money and continuing to race overrides any moral issues they may have with teams. With retirement imminent, De Marchi now no longer needs to think about that, though he would not criticise anyone signing for the squad, especially as he was without a team when he joined them
“At the time, they gave me a chance to keep riding at the top level,” he said. “They gave me a good contract and salary, and I was looking at the house I had to build and my family. Other riders are the same.”
“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.”
According to the Observer article, since leaving the team, De Marchi has educated himself about the situation in Israel and its relationship with Palestine: “Back then, I really understood very little about Israel. The people behind the team had a desire to show off the beauty of the country, that was a clear policy of the team, but there were never any feelings against Gaza or Palestinians, or reference to the occupation in the West Bank.”
The Italian does believe the world governing body, the UCI, should take action and show some considering about what is happening in Gaza. “We have to show that as a cycling world we care about human rights and international law violations.”
While the Israel-Premier Tech team is Israeli registered, it is not funded by the country’s government, though it does receive some financial support from the tourist agency. It is mostly funded by Canadian-Israeli businessman and keen cyclist, Sylvan Adams and American businessman Ron Baron, the pair founding the team as Cycling Academy Team in 2015.
Historically, there have been protests about the team’s presence at races, most recently at the Tour de France when a protester ran onto the finishing straight as the riders arrived in Toulouse at the end of stage 11.
