First Israeli rider to start and finish a Grand Tour puts an end to his professional career: "I can look back on a great journey"
Cycling
Guy Sagiv will no longer be part of the professional peloton next year. The rider is ending his career at the age of 29. Sagiv was the first rider from Israel to successfully complete a Grand Tour (Giro d'Italia 2018) and paved the way for other Israeli cyclists.
Since his debut with the team in 2015, Sagiv rode an impressive amount of 467 races and 274,000 race kilometers. "I'm just not that interested in the pure numbers," a nice stat line, Sagiv agrees, but that's not the most important aspect of his professional career, the 29-year-old reckons.
It was that Giro in 2018. With a Grande Partenza back home in Israel, Sagiv wrote history of his country's cycling as the first Israeli to start (and finish) a Grand Tour: "What I will remember most of all is that I managed to break through the ceiling. Not just for myself, but for all Israelis with cycling dreams. I showed that a dream can come true. So I'm very proud of what I've achieved. Not just that unforgettable Giro, but that I was also able to participate in other prestigious cycling races."
"I actually wanted to continue for at least one more season, but that turned out not to be possible. So I do have some unfinished business. I'm still young, but I can also look back on a great journey."
Sagiv will remain involved with the team, as he will be part of the technical staff of Israel - Premier Tech from next season. "His departure affects me. Guy is a top professional. He is fully committed to the team and his teammates. He also acted as a mentor for the young Israeli riders," says team boss Sylvan Adams in praise of Sagiv. "He will also remain a mentor, but in his new role within our technical staff."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Thank you, Guy Sagiv 💙 The first Israeli to finish a Grand Tour and the only pro to be a part of IPT since its formation in 2015 concludes his journey with us as a rider. 🗣️ "I proved that the dream is entirely achievable. I am very proud of what I accomplished." #YallaIPT
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