Israel-Premier Tech also withdraw from Il Lombardia
The team will miss another Italian one-day race due to security concerns amid protests against Israel's invasion of Gaza.
Israel-Premier Tech have withdrawn from Il Lombardia just days after announcing plans to rebrand for the 2026 season.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sylvan Adams’ team will not participate in the final Monument of the season, which is set to take place on Saturday, October 11. This continues a pattern of withdrawals from other Autumn Italian one-day races that includes the Giro dell'Emilia, Coppa Agostoni, Coppa Bernocchi, Tre Valli Varesine, and Gran Piemonte.
All withdrawals cite security concerns following human rights demonstrations against Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza that led to stage disruptions and the cancellation of the Vuelta a España's final leg in Madrid.
The decision follows Monday’s official announcement that the team will undergo a complete rebranding for the 2026 season, ending its association with Israel after more than a decade in the professional ranks.
“Progress often requires sacrifice, and this step is essential to securing the future of the team,” the statement read. The team will adopt a new name and identity for 2026, to be announced in the coming months.
Team owner Adams will reduce his public role with the team, stepping back from daily operations to focus on his duties as President of the World Jewish Congress, Israel. The team emphasised that despite the changes, it "remains, and always has been, a sporting project."
Tadej Pogačar is set to line up as the heavy favourite to win a record breaking fifth consecutive edition of Il Lombardia on Saturday, with Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) some of the other stand out names on the start list.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Get automatically notified about our latest videos. Coming up: Matteo Jorgenson and Victor Campenaerts in our Hotseat Podcast!
