"There will be no teams with the name of Israel": Barcelona mayor remains calm ahead of the 2026 Tour de France
Cycling
The Vuelta a España 2025 was almost completely ruined by the citizen protests against the participation of the Israel - Premier Tech team. Many stages were affected by the demonstrations, and some of them were cancelled, such as the final in Madrid. Therefore, there is a certain degree of concern about what may happen to the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2026 that is to take place in the streets of Barcelona.
It was thought that the Tour organizers were going to look for another location after what happened at La Vuelta. But, as Israel - Premier Tech vowed to no longer have the key word "Israel" in their team name from next season (due to demonstrations and popular pressure), the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, is relatively calm about possible obstructions.
Premier Tech, still without a confirmed name for 2026, announced a few weeks ago that Israel will no longer be part of its name. In principle, this should be enough for the protests of the Catalan people not to appear during the opening day of the Tour de France.
"In the official list of teams published for next year, there is no team competing with the name of Israel, and that is good news. We have a strong commitment to human rights and, in that sense, we can celebrate this change," Collboni said in statements for AS colleagues.
Barcelona, ready for a historic Grand Départ
In addition to transmitting calm because of the possible tension with the protests, the mayor of Barcelona also focused on the importance of celebrating the start of a race of the prestige of the Tour de France:
"Barcelona is ready to host the start of the Tour de France, and it will be the most spectacular and eagerly awaited to date. It is a city with a deep passion for cycling, and we have finally managed to bring the Tour to our streets. There are still some surprises to be unveiled, but we will show a city fully committed to the event."
The Vuelta a España protests should not appear in the 2026 Tour de France.
"It's a big challenge, but we are ready to face it. It will undoubtedly be the best Grand Départ in history," he concluded about the date of July 4, 2026, which is getting closer but also still a long way off.
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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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