Premier Tech to sponsor St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 after Israel-Premier Tech exit

Premier Tech will sponsor the St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 men’s and women’s teams for the next two seasons. The announcement comes ten days after the Canadian company confirmed that it had withdrawn from its sponsorship of the Israel-Premier Tech team.

In a statement on Tuesday, St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 announced that Premier Tech will serve as the team’s “main sponsor” in 2026 and 2027, though the team name will remain unchanged.

The women’s team will feature three new signings from Canada in 2026, with 2023 Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson and Clara Emond joining from EF Education-Oatly and Simone Boilard arriving from Uno-X Mobility.

“This opportunity fully aligns with the reasons 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 CEO Jean Bélanger said in a statement on Tuesday.

Premier Tech had sponsored the Israel-Premier Tech team since 2022, having previously backed Astana. The team’s presence at the Vuelta a España was subject to daily protests amid Israel’s invasion of Gaza, and Premier Tech indicated that its continued sponsorship was contingent on a change in name and team identity for 2026.

Israel-Premier Tech later signalled its intention to rebrand and “move away from its current Israeli identity,” but Premier Tech announced earlier this month that its backing would cease at the end of this year.

“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,” the Canadian company said in its statement.

Journalist Daniel Benson reported that Premier Tech intended to remain in professional cycling for 2026, and he listed St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 and Alpecin-Deceuninck as possible new partnerships.

It remains to be seen if Premier Tech’s agreement with St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 will be its only sponsorship deal for 2026. Israel-Premier Tech, meanwhile, has applied for a WorldTour licence under the ‘Cycling Academy’ moniker, with the team confirming that its new brand identity will be announced shortly.

For St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93, the arrival of Premier Tech is a signal of intent for the seasons ahead, particularly for its women’s team, which has raced the Tour de France Femmes in each of the past four seasons.

“Partnering with Premier Tech marks a milestone for our team,” said deputy general manager Charlie Nerzic. “Like us, the global Canadian company led by Jean Bélanger is committed to developing cycling in all its forms. We share a common vision: an inclusive, integrated cycling ecosystem driven by talent diversity.”