Israel Start-Up Nation has extended the contracts of its four Israeli riders after a strong season that saw the first Israeli victory on the professional scene.
Guy Niv (27), Omer Goldstein (25), Guy Sagiv (26), and Itamar Einhorn (24) will all continue to show off the blue and white ISN colors and represent Israel in the biggest races on the calendar next year.
Niv impressed this season by taking on – and finishing – two Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, while Goldstein fought his way through a challenging Tour de France. Einhorn lined up for the Vuelta a España where he showed his high potential by making top five and top 10 in the bunch sprints.
The biggest Israeli moment this year undoubtedly came when Einhorn stormed to victory on the final stage of Tour of Slovakia, beating home favorite and multiple-time world champion Peter Sagan on the line. This was the first professional Israeli victory and another indicator that Israeli cycling has taken a huge step forward after Israel Start-Up Nation’s intake on the international scene.
ISN General Manager, Kjell Carlström: “The Israeli riders are constantly progressing. We have all seen some great results from them in the last year and we hope they will continue to progress like this. There is also a new generation of young Israeli riders coming up through the ranks of our development team. It’s great that we can help challenge them in order to evolve as riders. All in all, we are expecting to see more great performances by the Israeli riders in the coming years. Both in terms of personal results and in terms of helping their teammates succeed.”
Guy Sagiv: “I think the past year has been a turning point for the group. We Israelis have been given opportunities and leading positions due to the fact that we are truly riding at the level of the rest of the team, and not because we are the Israelis on an Israeli team. I expect this trend to continue, I expect to see the next generation coming up in our wake, and very much hope that the number of Israeli riders will increase.
“If I were to step out of the routine and look at things from a different perspective, outside of my own head, it feels even more special. Seeing and experiencing from the inside, the change the team has gone through from its first year as a small Continental team until now, as a WorldTour team at such a level, is just amazing.”’
Itamar Einhorn: “I am proud to continue with all my Israeli teammates, showing we are on the rise. I was able to up my game and got rewarded with a victory. Now, I feel that the sky is the limit for me.”
Guy Niv: “We saw a big improvement in the Israeli riders on the team over the last year, with achievements and results that we had not seen before, and I am convinced that in the coming year the trend will continue, and we will see much bigger things. Personally, in the coming season, I will be looking to continue to improve and move forward. I look forward to supporting the team and contributing to results in the big races as well as getting a chance in a smaller race to lead and try to win.”
Omer Goldstein: “I am very glad to continue with the team next year. I believe I have the chance to take another leap forward and I’m committed to keeping getting better.”
Also the young Israeli riders from the development team, Israel Cycling Academy, have shown impressive progress this season. Next year, they will continue to get a chance to ride with ISN in order to improve and develop and to take advantage of the big momentum that Israeli cycling is seeing at the moment.
ICA Team Manager, Aviad Izrael: “Our Israeli riders on the Israel Cycling Academy have proven themselves worthy of riding with the ISN WT team this year. I expect they will get plenty of more opportunities to do so again in 2022.”
