Israel Cycling Academy team moved today to complete the major project of rebuilding its roster for its first ever year as a Pro Continental squad by signing two more promising Israeli riders.

The final 2 spots on the 16-rider roster now belong to 2 up-and-coming Israeli riders, both of whom raced for Israel Cycling Academy last year. Team Manager Ran Margaliot has no illusions and stated both clearly and sincerely that there is a long road ahead of the Israeli riders:

“Right now, Pro Continental is way above their level. But we believe that the only way to succeed is to put them in front of the biggest of challenges, and demand 1 thing: When you get the chance to race, make an impact! Don’t ride to ‘just survive’.”

The two Israelis, Aviv Yechezkel and Roy Goldstein, are the last two pieces to the 16-rider roster who will face the challenge of the team’s first-ever season as a Pro Continental team. Together with Israeli National Champion Guy Sagiv, Israel will be represented by 3 riders- the most of any other nation on the new and revamped squad. The rest of the riders on the team are coming from 11 different countries, and the team includes 5 current National Champions.

“Carrying 3 Israelis on the team, and hopefully more to come, is not just a number, it’s a statement that we are loyal to our Israeli roots and to our #1 goal- and the reason we founded this team,” said team founder Ron Baron. “We know that they (Israeli riders) are not ready yet, but we are committed to push the best Israeli talents up to the world's biggest cycling stage and to develop and revolutionize the Israeli Cycling scene.”

Yechezkel (22) is the current Israeli Time Trial Champion, and has already shown that his aggressive racing style comes along with a high racing IQ, and intelligent actions in the peloton. This past year he found himself receiving praise, on multiple occasions, from his teammates with more international experience “because of his willingness to sacrifice it all for the good of the team”.

“I felt that I belonged in the Pro ranks this year” said Yechezkel, who spends some of his breaks from cycling working as a farmer on his Kibbutz. “But I have no illusions…with the amazing team that’s been assembled, and the level of the races, it will take everything that I have to justify my inclusion in the races. I will have to be way better than I have ever been, and I am sure that it will take some time until I get there”.

Goldstein (23) echoed his teammate's sentiments, saying:

“I am honored to receive the chance to race Pro Continental, but I know that in order to justify it, I will have to work incredibly hard in order to show that I deserve the chance to race. There is so much I still need to do in order to reach this level, but extremely hard work does not scare me one bit”.

Although young, and with a lot of work ahead of them, both riders fully understand the responsibility, expectations, and pressure that have come to rest on their shoulders:

“I will not lie”, said Yechezkel , “I feel it’s a test- not only for me, but for all of Israeli Cycling. We have an enormous chance that the team has given us, to reach a whole new level, never before reached…But if we fail, it could have a crushing effect on other riders who want to follow in our footsteps. So the need to succeed here is not just for ourselves!”

With the final two signings officially done, Israel Cycling Academies Roster for 2017 is as follows:

Guy Sagiv (Israel National RR Champion)
Aviv Yechezkel (Israel National TT Champion)
Roy Goldstein (Israel)
Guillaume Boivin (Canada)
ben perry (Canada)
Zak Dempster (Australia)
Jason Lowndes (Australia)
Dennis van Winden (Holland)
Krists Neilands (Latvia)
Mihkel Räim (Estonia National Champion)
Luis Enrique Lemus Dávila (Mexico National Champion)
Dan Craven (Namibia National Champion)
Jose Manuel Diaz Gallego (Spain)
Daniel Turek (Czech Republic)
Hamish Schreurs(New Zealand)
Tyler Williams (USA)