Giro d'Italia didn't go according to Israel - Premier Tech's plan, with nearly half of the team crashing out in the first week. But that's a long history and the Israeli PRT team is ready to write a new chapter in their story at Tour de France.
Last year was a success mainly thanks to their climber Michael Woods who managed to score a beautiful victory on the scenic Puy de Dome. However with the Canadian ex-runner not listed for this year's Grande Boucle, it will be up to his teammates to leave their mark on the French (and Italian) roads.
Israel - Premier Tech's line up combines a mix of debutants and experience in what appears be a very appealing group of stage hunters. "The main goal is to win a stage," sports director Steve Bauer confirms this in attached press release. "We have a strong, balanced and versatile team with riders able to shine in different terrains, giving us potential to be competitive throughout the race as the Tour evolves stage by stage. The competition will be fierce, but I believe in the group we are bringing to this Tour."
For that objective, the biggest pressure will be on the Critérium du Dauphiné revelation Derek Gee. The 26-year-old Canadian stunned cycling fans and experts alike with his third place overall, beating established GC contenders such as Carlos Rodríguez, Remco Evenepoel or Giulio Ciccone. His team makes clear that classification won't be on Gee's agenda (for now), so we can only look forward to seeing him smash breakaways, just like during the 2023 Giro d'Italia.
In hilly terrains, the team will put a lot of faith in the La Fleche Wallonne winner Stephen Williams. Another Tour debutant Williams demonstrated good form in his latest start at Tour de Suisse, finishing second in one of the two punchy stages. Experienced Jakob Fuglsang, Hugo Houle and Krists Neilands will be another cards to play in the long breakaways.
Pascal Ackermann's glory days of when the German was fighting for the title of world's best sprinter are gone, but there's still quality within the 30-year-old, who will attempt to enter top 5 in sprints, supported by Jake Stewart and Guillaume Boivin.
Israel - Premier Tech for Tour de France 2024:
Stephen Williams
Krists Neilands
Pascal Ackermann
Derek Gee
Guillaume Boivin
Hugo Houle
Jakob Fuglsang
Jake Stewart
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