La Gazzetta: Alpecin-Deceuninck and Van der Poel Benefit from full overhaul at Israel–Premier Tech

Alpecin-Deceuninck looks set to take on Premier Tech as a sponsor starting in 2026. La Gazzetta dello Sport writes Thursday afternoon that the current sponsor of Israel-Premier Tech might end up with the team of brothers Christoph and Philip Roodhooft and front man Mathieu van der Poel in its search for a new team.

To say that anything is happening at Israel-Premier Tech at the moment is an understatement. The ball started rolling at the Vuelta a España, where for three weeks there were huge numbers of demonstrators along ánd on the road, protesting the participation and visibility of Israel, which is under great pressure because of the situation in Gaza.

Already during the Vuelta, the question of excluding Israel-Premier Tech as a team was raised aloud. Bike supplier Factor even threatened to pull the plug on sponsorship if Israel remained in the name. After the season, in which the team even completely skipped the Italian autumn, owner Sylvan Adams and thus Israel Factor stepped down.

The team did retain Premier Tech as a sponsor, but not for long. The Canadian agricultural company decided to leave the team immediately, leaving a team without any main sponsors. There was also a soap opera involving team captain Derek Gee, who tore up his contract and received a huge claim from the team.

One man's death is another man's bread is not a saying for nothing. Premier Tech suddenly became free on the sponsor market and immediately expressed all his intentions to stay in cycling. Many teams contacted it immediately, but according to La Gazzetta dello Sport - based on "sources" - Alpecin-Deceuninck may be firing.

And the former Israel-Premier Tech? That will make a relaunch, but in a completely new guise. With a three-year WorldTour license in hand, new sponsors will normally step in and the team will continue under a Swiss license, again according to La Gazzetta.