Last Tuesday (08), after controversies involving the departure of Chris Froome from Israel-Premier Tech, Sylvan Adams, team owner, decided to speak openly about the next phases of the team and even stated that the cyclist was not “worth the value invested” in recent years.
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Known for being a team where most of the athletes are veterans, Sylvan Adams, owner of Israel-Premier Tech, stated that the choices are deliberate and are team strategies. “I know there is talk of us being a nursing home. It is a fair criticism”, commented the businessman.
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“Not everyone who comes in like Egan Bernal or Tadej Pogocar and just wins right away. So yeah, we went out and hired veterans who were successful. I mean, with Chris Froome is the epitome of strategy. And it wasn’t, but it works in some cases,” said Sylvan Adams, owner of Israel-Premier Tech.
The businessman also explained why the athlete was not called up for the main competitions in the sport: “Chris Froome was hired precisely because we had ambitions to be relevant as a candidate for the GC. Clearly, that didn’t work. Chris was not selected for the Tour team this year because he did not have the results in the prep races, which were the main prerequisites for being selected for the Tour team”.
Upon learning that he was not selected to participate in the Tour de France, Chris Froome made some statements in the media that were harmful to the team, given that Israel-Premier Tech has supported the athlete since his serious accident in 2019, at the Critérium du Dauphiné. The businessman stated that the contract with the American will remain with the team until 2025.
Since the professional’s departure was announced, the team has been looking for new talents, whether young athletes or veterans. Even with rumors that Remco Evenepoel could be Israel-Premier Tech’s next bet, the owner did not comment on the possible acquisition.
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