Despite all protests, Israel – backed by Sylvan Adams – hopes to host Tour start: "We’re very optimistic"

The Canadian-Israeli businessman has severed his ties with the team and will focus on his duties as president of the World Jewish Congress. Nevertheless, he remains connected to the cycling world. He still maintains contacts with the UCI and the A.S.O., the organization behind the Tour de France. It is precisely with them that he is engaged in discussions about a controversial plan.

In 2018, Israel managed to lure the Giro d'Italia outside European borders for the first time, with a start in Jerusalem. The following two stages also took place in the country. Now the Tour de France is set to follow suit. “I am in talks with the organizers of the Tour de France to follow the example of the Giro and have this legendary race start in Israel,” Adams said in an interview with La Voix Sépharade.

Due to his distance from the sport, Adams will not be able to implement the plan on his own. That is why he has joined forces with Dafna Lang, the president of the Israeli Cycling Federation. “I can't say yet that we are going to bid for the Tour de France or organize it, but we continue to dream,” she told L'Équipe.

The country is currently in a fragile truce with Hamas after the terrible war in Gaza. That is a significant obstacle to achieving the goal. “I can't speak on behalf of Sylvan Adams, but I believe that once there is stable peace, we will realize many projects at the highest level by welcoming the world. We are very optimistic; we have already brought the Giro here. Anything is possible.”