The Israel-Premier Tech cycling team has rebranded and will race as NSN Cycling Team starting in 2026, with its base in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Girona, international sports and entertainment company NSN (Never Say Never) announced on Thursday.
According to the NSN statement, the company is entering a joint venture with Stoneweg, a global investment platform based in Geneva, Switzerland.
“This new era marks a significant milestone in the growth of the team and an opportunity to join forces with organizations united by shared values of ambition, excellence and the drive to inspire through sport,” according to the statement.
Kjell Carlström is staying on as general manager: “We are proud to welcome NSN and Stoneweg to the team and announce our new name and identity: NSN Cycling Team,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
The move comes after a series of violent race disruptions by pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Europe since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, culminating in the recent Vuelta a España grand tour cycling competition in Spain when activists stormed the route, directly threatening Israel–Premier Tech cyclists.
The team will return to the World Tour level, cycling’s highest division, in 2026, after earning promotion during the most recent three-year cycle.
The team removed “Israel” from its uniforms temporarily during the Spanish race to reduce risk to its riders, saying that it was planning a rebrand for the 2026 season. Canadian company Premier Tech announced on Nov. 7 the end of its co-title sponsorship of the Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) cycling team after near four years, calling the continuation of the partnership “untenable.”
Israel–Premier Tech owner Sylvan Adams announced last month that he will step aside.
“As an Israeli whose heart and blood are blue and white, as an immigrant who made Israel my home, as a patriot and Zionist who proudly calls himself ‘Israel’s self-appointed ambassador,’ I cannot, at this moment, continue to take an active part in a team that no longer bears the name Israel. Therefore, I am stepping aside and suspending all active involvement with the team,” the Israeli-Canadian philanthropist said.
“I will instead devote myself even more deeply to my philanthropic activities in Israel and around the world. In my role as president of the World Jewish Congress in Israel, I will continue to fight to defend our right, as Jews, to live in peace, safety and freedom from the wave of hatred, violence and antisemitism that has surged since the tragic events of October 7,” he added.
Founded in 2014 as the Israel Cycling Academy, the country’s first professional cycling team, IPT gave young Israeli and international riders the opportunity to compete and progress on the global stage. Over the past decade, the team has achieved major victories, including stage wins in premier races such as the Tour de France, while proudly representing Israel around the world.
Israeli cyclists have played a key role in IPT’s success. Guy Sagiv became the first Israeli to race in a Grand Tour during the historic 2018 Giro d’Italia, which began in Jerusalem. Two years later, Guy Niv became the first Israeli to compete in the Tour de France.
Beyond its athletic achievements, IPT has promoted a social mission, using cycling as a tool for change. The team built the Field of Dreams cycling center in Rwanda and, in 2024, Adams invited two survivors of the Hamas massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri to the Tour de France opening in Florence. In 2025, freed hostage Ofer Kalderon joined the final stage of the Tour de France in Paris as Israel–Premier Tech’s special guest.
