Israel’s cycling team competing in the 2023 Tour de France that begins this weekend will be sporting a special jersey inspired by the Jewish state’s national hiking trail.
The eight Israel–Premier Tech athletes will wear the special-edition jersey to bring attention to Israeli tourism and the 637-mile hiking trail that crosses the entire length of the country from Kibbutz Dan near Lebanon in the north to Eilat on the Red Sea in the south.
Designed by Élie Desgreniers of Premier Tech and produced by EKOÏ, the jersey’s colors are taken from the three stripes of the National Trail markings—white representing Mount Hermon in the north, blue representing Israel’s coastline and orange representing the desert in the south. The front of the jersey features a map of the National Trail.
“Since moving to Israel, I have taken on the role of ‘Self-appointed ambassador, at large, for Israel,'” said Israel-Premier Tech owner Sylvan Adams.
“With our jersey displaying the Israel National Trail, I am hoping that this special path, that links up many of Israel’s truly exceptional attractions, will generate interest amongst the hundreds of millions of cycling fans around the world that tune into the Tour, leading to actual tourist visits to Israel,” the Canadian-Israeli said.
“They won’t be disappointed, as Israel is a marvel of ancient and modern, both the cradle of civilization and cutting-edge health care, technology, agriculture and environmental science,” Adams continued.
This year’s 110th edition of the Tour de France will see 22 teams start in Bilbao, Spain, on July 1 and finish 2,115 miles later at the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 23.