Teams & Riders Israel Premier Tech

[Leadbelly]

the field of TDT this year is even weaker then the one from last year, but i doubt they will win the GC like last year.
if Einhorn is not going to do anything in such race, they should just bench him for good...
i bet its all going to be on brady Gilmore, so he will probably win some sprints.
it's interesting to see if there will be any live broadcast like they did last year.
the organizers really tried very hard , and i hope it will be possible to catch some of the action also this year.

Yeah it's live on YouTube for anyone up at that time of the day. I'v always liked the comms that have done it previously. Don't understand a word they're saying, but they sound like they're having fun.

Einhorn could only get a third yesterday (wet and lots of turns in the finale), but the peloton kindly let Kretschy get 9 bonus seconds which was most generous of them. Couple that with this morning's first and third and the GC is looking pretty good. There aren't too many fast guys in that grp at 17s so Einhorn may get his chance to contest the remaining sprint finishes.

 

[Leadbelly]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1902660469116006441

View: https://x.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1902660469116006441


So sign him up for the main team next year? With the hopeful move up to WT level I'd be a bit more cautious. Get him in a few bigger races in Europe like Abruzzo or BP and see how gets on there first.

Anyway from his perspective, even if the main team aren't interested in him for next year, the results from these two races alone will surely have other PCT outfits (Burgos? Tietema?) after him now.

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Einhorn got his win, but not overly convincing in general. Question marks about him too in 2026. Kogut seems to be higher in the sprinting pecking order and would Tene be more useful to the team (as a leadout) if he got promoted and "replaced" Einhorn. Tough decisions ahead.

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1902725219568984552

View: https://x.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1902725219568984552


The devo squad officially kick-off their season tomorrow. Some of the riders listed already have a few race days in their legs, but I'm not expecting too much.

 

[aruipksni]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1902660469116006441

View: https://x.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1902660469116006441


So sign him up for the main team next year? With the hopeful move up to WT level I'd be a bit more cautious. Get him in a few bigger races in Europe like Abruzzo or BP and see how gets on there first.

Anyway from his perspective, even if the main team aren't interested in him for next year, the results from these two races alone will surely have other PCT outfits (Burgos? Tietema?) after him now.

-----------------------------

Einhorn got his win, but not overly convincing in general. Question marks about him too in 2026. Kogut seems to be higher in the sprinting pecking order and would Tene be more useful to the team (as a leadout) if he got promoted and "replaced" Einhorn. Tough decisions ahead.

--------------------------------

https://twitter.com/x/status/1902725219568984552

View: https://x.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1902725219568984552


The devo squad officially kick-off their season tomorrow. Some of the riders listed already have a few race days in their legs, but I'm not expecting too much.

i agree with you about Bradley.
with only 15 riders signed in 2026, they will have a lot of more flexibility to select riders this year unlike recent years, when they got stuck with full rosters and with some riders that were just taking silvan adams money for nothing.
and if indeed teams like ARKEA or even TOTALENERGIES will fold , there will be more riders on the market this year to pick from.

 

[Leadbelly]

Four races to follow today! This is more like it.

 

[Leadbelly]

Hofstetter's good form continues. He seems to be taking over TVA's scoring role in these smaller races.

He's doing a bit more than that as he's now the team's top scorer. No wins, but consistent and quite good at getting on the right wheels.

It's just as well that he's having a good classics season as the rest of the team (in the main) isn't. Vernon had a nice fourth at Koksijde and maybe he can do something at Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, but Sheehan has done nothing after a decent classics debut last year and Blackmore is obv a work in progress - maybe he'll prefer the hilly classics.

Speaking of the hilly classics, where is Stevie Williams? No races since Australia and very few km uploaded on strava in February and March. He must be injured/ill and therefore it's very difficult to see him doing much in the Ardennes, if he's there at all. Ditto for Woods.

Thank goodness the team is virtually assured of it's place in the WT next year already.

 

[search]

In the last wet Paris-Roubaix, van Asbroeck and the Cannonball were among the ~5 strongest riders in the race, I'd say. The forecast isn't quite clear yet, but maybe there's another chance for a good result as well.

 

[Pinot's goat]

He's doing a bit more than that as he's now the team's top scorer. No wins, but consistent and quite good at getting on the right wheels.

It's just as well that he's having a good classics season as the rest of the team (in the main) isn't. Vernon had a nice fourth at Koksijde and maybe he can do something at Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, but Sheehan has done nothing after a decent classics debut last year and Blackmore is obv a work in progress - maybe he'll prefer the hilly classics.

Speaking of the hilly classics, where is Stevie Williams? No races since Australia and very few km uploaded on strava in February and March. He must be injured/ill and therefore it's very difficult to see him doing much in the Ardennes, if he's there at all. Ditto for Woods.

Thank goodness the team is virtually assured of it's place in the WT next year already.

Sheehan was quite ill just a couple of weeks ago so he will probably come good end of April and start of May just like last year.

 

[Leadbelly]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1902660469116006441

View: https://x.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1902660469116006441

Get him in a few bigger races in Europe like Abruzzo or BP and see how gets on there first.

Well he got to ride Coppi e Bartali with the main team in a supporting role, but unfortunately that was like a day or two after getting back from Taiwan. Jet lag and all that = OTL on stage 3. Kinda pointless.

However a fortnight later and he's back to winning ways.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1911066643528114327

View: https://x.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1911066643528114327


Tomorrow's stage should be streamed here if you want to see if he can hang on to the jersey.

 

[aruipksni]

He's doing a bit more than that as he's now the team's top scorer. No wins, but consistent and quite good at getting on the right wheels.

It's just as well that he's having a good classics season as the rest of the team (in the main) isn't. Vernon had a nice fourth at Koksijde and maybe he can do something at Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, but Sheehan has done nothing after a decent classics debut last year and Blackmore is obv a work in progress - maybe he'll prefer the hilly classics.

Speaking of the hilly classics, where is Stevie Williams? No races since Australia and very few km uploaded on strava in February and March. He must be injured/ill and therefore it's very difficult to see him doing much in the Ardennes, if he's there at all. Ditto for Woods.

Thank goodness the team is virtually assured of it's place in the WT next year already.

Williams is evidently putting in the hard yards 80th place, 7.10 down in d'abruzzo hilly first stage. i hope he is not planning to go froome on Stephen Adams now...

 

[search]

apparently Williams was sidelined with a knee injury, so may need a while to get back in shape.

 

[Leadbelly]

Yeah I'd read about the knee injury in the team's Abruzzo blurb. Rather worrying as that is what the problem was when he was at Bahrain. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how he recovers further on in the year.

 

[aruipksni]

it certainly looks like the team will need more depth, for the next three years, when they only got few riders that earn significant points and some who are not on this level. my first thoughts are the ARKEA riders, because i don't see the team get someone like roglic, or even mas caliber.

 

[AmRacer]

it certainly looks like the team will need more depth, for the next three years, when they only got few riders that earn significant points and some who are not on this level. my first thoughts are the ARKEA riders, because i don't see the team get someone like roglic, or even mas caliber.

When their most expensive no results rider is off their payroll, they can afford other quality riders.

 

[aruipksni]

When their most expensive no results rider is off their payroll, they can afford other quality riders.

you forgot the collateral damage, that because of such rider, other semi -retired riders, came out with similar high payroll, no results attitude, when they joined the team.

 

[search]

Hirt has always been a contract-year type of rider, so I guess he may do better in 2026 - until they give him another 2-year deal -

Not sure what's the issue with Lutsenko. Maybe he just needs a while to acclimatize in this new environment?

 

[Leadbelly]

Williams looked okay today I thought. Needs some miles in the legs of course, but I'm less worried now.

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it certainly looks like the team will need more depth, for the next three years, when they only got few riders that earn significant points and some who are not on this level. my first thoughts are the ARKEA riders, because i don't see the team get someone like roglic, or even mas caliber.

Not sure there are too many riders from Arkea I would be after - not with the season they are having!

Vauquelin would be the major exception however I expect him to join a team further up the food chain (Ineos, Decathlon and others have been linked I think). Costiou is still young and with room for improvement I guess. Biermans I liked when he was in the team previously. Senechal maybe on a cheap 1-yr deal?

After his early 2024 form Mozzato would have been on that list definitely, but not so sure now.

 

[aruipksni]

Williams looked okay today I thought. Needs some miles in the legs of course, but I'm less worried now.

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Not sure there are too many riders from Arkea I would be after - not with the season they are having!

Vauquelin would be the major exception however I expect him to join a team further up the food chain (Ineos, Decathlon and others have been linked I think). Costiou is still young and with room for improvement I guess. Biermans I liked when he was in the team previously. Senechal maybe on a cheap 1-yr deal?

After his early 2024 form Mozzato would have been on that list definitely, but not so sure now.

this are the riders i was thinking about.
but perhaps the anglo-saxo trend will continue with riders like Adam yates, micahal matthewes or eddie dunbar. perhaps british riders from PICNIC (will it fold if relegated and not get any wildcard?)