Race organizers made their decision following widespread protests during Spain's recent Vuelta competition, where the Israeli-sponsored squad competed despite repeated disruptions, according to CBC Sports. Spanish authorities reported that over 100,000 demonstrators filled the streets of Madrid during the competition's final stage earlier this month. Seven stages out of the Vuelta's final 11 racing days were interrupted or ended prematurely due to protest activities, CBC Sports noted.

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The controversy surrounding Israel Premier Tech cycling team at Vuelta a España reaches new heights, with Israel's Foreign Ministry entering the center of the matter. In the past week, following growing protests against the team, its leadership decided to remove the name "Israel" from riders' uniforms. In an official statement, the Foreign Ministry emphasized it was not involved in the team's decision and clarified that responsibility for athlete security lies with Spanish authorities and organizers.

As previously reported, team leadership announced at the beginning of the week that removing the "Israel" inscription was primarily intended to protect riders and reduce the intensity of opposition that intensified during the race's first stages. The decision was made based on security considerations; however, protests continued, parts of the route were blocked, and riders experienced tense situations during the race.

El día de hoy se suspendió la llegada a la meta en la etapa 11 de la vuelta ciclista en España.
El pueblo vasco salió a las calles de Bilbao para manifestar su repudio al equipo de IsraHell y demostrar apoyo al pueblo de #Palestina
#StopGazaGenocide‌NOW pic.twitter.com/4WODE4Hac1

— Festivales Media (@festivalesgt) September 3, 2025

Following this, the Foreign Ministry responded with a sharp statement about the move, stating that "The Foreign Ministry was not involved at all in the team's decision regarding the inscription on participant jerseys in the race." The ministry noted further that "The embassy in Spain has acted and is acting with Spanish authorities and official bodies to strongly protest the conduct toward the team and demand that competition organizers and the host country bear responsibility for the team's security and all participants." The ministry clarified that Israel expects every country "to allow Israeli athletes and artists to appear with state symbols."

Despite efforts to protect riders, protests continued and intensified. Pro-Palestinian organizations attempted to block riders' path on the route, with delays recorded in the field and even confrontations with local police. Images from the Vuelta showed the severity of the situation and presented the team at the center of a global debate about freedom of expression in sports and protest boundaries.

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Just until two years ago, now-professional cyclist Goldie Gelhar had not done any sports in her life at all. Born and raised in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, she only attended one swimming lesson as a child, but dropped out after the teacher said she had "weak legs."

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"In the Haredi world, sports is not talked about that much, not for men and not for women, so most people live their lives without any physical exercise at all, until one day, they realize that without it, they cannot exactly live a long, happy life," Gelhar told Israel Hayom.

She herself came to such a realization and took up running, and later cycling.

"I got into it during the coronavirus, because I didn't have a job and had a lot of free time on my hands, and, frankly, felt like my body was rotting. This, of course, happened in other sectors as well, but especially by Haredim, because children did not study via Zoom and just sat at home doing nothing. I myself decided to go for a run and see how I feel."

Little did Gelhar know that she would come to love sports so much that less than two years later she would be training for the Ironman 70.3 triathlons in Tiberias – also known as the Half Ironman – which is taking place in Israel this year for the first time.

The competition, which is scheduled to be held on Nov. 12, consists of 1.9 kilometers of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling, and 21.1 kilometers of running. It is considered an exceptionally challenging competition. In comparison, the Olympic triathlon is 1.5 kilometers of swimming, 40 kilometers of cycling, and 10 kilometers of running.

"I want to win and get on the podium, but I know that even if I don't, what I already do for myself and the ultra-Orthodox society is already my success," Gelhar said.

"When Haredi women ask me how I find the time for sports, I tell them that there's always a way. Not everyone has to participate in such competitions and train 17 hours a week like I do. Taking a Pilates class would already do wonders for ultra-Orthodox women. As for Haredi children, running alone would change their lives.

"I tell them that even spiritually speaking, the feeling you get when you run is unlike anything else. Ultra-Orthodox women have busy lifestyles, but even they get time off, the majority of which they do not devote to sports."

With an entire sector behind her, Gelhar dreams big.

"I don't think the state is doing enough to bring ultra-Orthodox women into the world of sports. I want to create a mixed running group for ultra-Orthodox and secular women that I think will contribute to Israeli society in terms of sport and many other ways," she said.

The first 40 participants to finish the Half Ironman will qualify for the 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand in December.

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They are young Israeli men and women, each with relatively bright futures in their respective sporting fields of cycling and tennis. In the pursuit of their dreams, the thing they lack the most is ample opportunity to prove themselves on the international stage. However, they may have broken an unofficial rule on Thursday, Yom Kippur, by opting to compete in various tournaments across the globe on the holiest day in Judaism.

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Cyclist Itamar Reinhorn, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Israel Start-Up Nation, took part on Wednesday and Thursday in the opening stage of the Tour of Slovakia and even managed to finish a respectable sixth. Yuval Ben Moshe, who rides for team Israel Cycling Academy, will also compete in stage two of the event, which begins Friday evening, Israel time.

Tennis players Nicole Khirin, Shavit Kimchi and Sahar Simon competed in the futures tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa (J3 Johannesburg Tournament 2021), where prizes worth NIS 25,000 ($7,800) were distributed among the winners. Simon and Khirin won their opening matches to advance, which Kimchi was eliminated. The three were accompanied by their coach, Yoav Schab.

As stated, the decision to compete on Yom Kippur was likely to ruffle some feathers. Such a decision likely wouldn't have been met with understanding in the 1990s, and certainly not earlier. It should be noted that UCI WorldTeam Israel Start-Up Nation is owned and funded by businessmen Sylvan Adams and Ron Baron, and is not supported in any official capacity by the State of Israel.

The Israel Tennis Association said in response: "These are personal tournaments for the players, not the official national team."

Israel Start-Up Nation said: "The Tour of Slovakia has five stages and as per the rules of racing events – absence from one of the days – in this case, Yom Kippur – doesn't allow [the rider] to continue competing in the remaining days. The choice was in the hands of the cyclists and had they asked not to compete in Slovakia, the team would have accepted their request, of course, and assigned them to a different race."

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The race in the United Arab Emirates – the only one that takes place in the region as part of the World Tour – is the Middle East's largest professional cycling event. The Israel Start-Up Nation cycling team is one of 19 professional teams competing this year.

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While the UAE does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, ties between the nations have significantly warmed in recent years.

"For us being in an Arab country … with the word 'Israel' emblazoned on the front and back of the jersey in big letters … for us, this is a really important race on the calendar," Sylvan Adams, a co-owner of the team, told The Jerusalem Post.

"We are creating normalization of Israel, and there is a diplomatic element to our participation," he said. "We are building these bridges on a people-to-people basis from the ground up."

As a World Tour competitor, the Israeli team automatically qualified to participate in the 2020 UAE Tour, which begins in Abu Dhabi and consists of a 148-kilometer course across all seven United Arab Emirates.

The team has also been given increased security throughout their participation in the week-long tour.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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As a result, it will become the first-ever Israeli team to compete in the Tour de France, the world's third most-watched sporting event after the quadrennial Summer Olympic Games and the soccer World Cup, showcasing Israeli innovation to billions of television viewers.

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Participation in the Tour de France represents significant progress made by ICA in five years.

The 2017 season was the team's first in the second-tier Pro Continental ranks. In 2018, the team raced in its first Grand Tour – the historic Giro d'Italia, which started in Jerusalem. ICA raced again in the Giro d'Italia in 2019. This same season, the team stepped up its racing performance and recorded 29 wins.

"Israel Start-Up Nation" carries 30 riders from 16 nationalities. The team will include four Israeli riders: Itamar Einhorn, Omer Goldstein, Guy Niv and Guy Sagiv. In order to be challenged on the World Tour, it has also signed some of the sport's most experienced riders, including Andre Greipel, Dan Martin, and Dani Navarro.

The team is owned by Israeli-Canadian philanthropist Sylvan Adams and Israeli businessman Ron Baron. Taking a minority interest this year is Kevin Lam, a Canadian, via his company, Reinvent.com.

"The dream of competing in the Tour de France, almost unthinkable when we launched the team, is coming true: a professional team with world-class Israeli riders alongside the finest international talents, racing with pride in one of the world's most prestigious sporting events," said Adams.

"Around 3.5 billion viewers in hundreds of countries will see the Israeli flag and hear the message that this is a country bringing unrivaled innovation to the world. By partnering with Start-Up Nation Central, we are showcasing the Israeli-tech ecosystem on a global stage, sending a clear message that this is a country with so much to offer," he added. "I have no doubt that cutting-edge Israeli technology will give our team a competitive advantage as we race against the very best in world cycling."

Professor Eugene Kandel, CEO of SNC, noted that with a population of about 9 million people, Israel has the most startups and highest venture investment per capita in the world. "This is a potential force multiplier that the Israel Cycling Academy can tap into," he said.

ICA was founded in December 2014 in Jerusalem as Israel's first professional cycling team with a vision to help young cyclists achieve the highest level of the sport. Riders also act as the nation's "ambassadors," demonstrating a vision of peace through athletics.

Riders will continue to serve as Peres Center for Peace and Innovation "Peace Ambassadors," a title they were bestowed in 2018. The center's logo will appear on uniforms to help spread a message of coexistence.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The rides are part of a project called Courage in Motion, which has been active for the past 12 years. It was launched by Beit Halochem Canada, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel, a branch of the Zahal [IDF] Disabled Veterans Organization. Every year, a group of 100 Canadian and American Jews visit Israel for a week of tough riding "for our soldiers."

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They meet the wounded warriors, listen to their tales of battle, and experience Israel with their legs and feet.

Amit Hasdai is one of the standout Israeli cyclists. In 2001, he sustained serious wounds to his neck in a shooting in Qalqilya, which left half of his lower body paralyzed. That doesn't stop him from riding seven days a week, competitively. He has his eyes on competing in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

On Saturdays, Hasdai says, his wife, Galit, and his children join him for training.

"I couldn't do it without them," he says.

Hasdai, who uses a handcycle, enjoys every minute of his riding. Often, he leaves the North American visitors behind.

His next goal is the Olympics. He still doesn't know whether he will join the Israeli delegation to the Paralympics, but he is doing everything he can to make that dream a reality.

"There's a chance I'll make it to Tokyo, and right now I'm training for it seven days a week. Every time, we ride for kilometers," he says.

While riding, and after the rides are over, Hasdai and his friends tell the visitors what they experienced.

"I recommend that other wounded IDF vets join the rides. Riding helps you deal with the wounds, and gives you confidence. You are in a place that you could never have gotten to. Each time, you try and go beyond the limits," he says.

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