Israel-Premier Tech will race the remaining eight stages of the Vuelta a España without 'Israel' on their jerseys, with the team opting to change their kit mid-way through the race due to 'safety concerns', though the team name will not be changed.
The ProTeam, registered in Israel, have been the subject of several pro-Palestine protests throughout the 2025 Vuelta, with their continued participation being opposed most recently by Spain's Foreign Minister on national radio due to Israel's ongoing armed conflict in Gaza.
Multiple days have been disrupted, including the stage 5 team time trial in Figueres, where they were blocked during their ride, and stage 10 near Isaba, where demonstrators ran in front of the peloton and caused Simone Petillie (Intermarché-Wanty) to crash.
Stage 11 in Bilbao saw the height of the protests in the Basque Country, where the stage was neutralised by organisers 3km from the line, and the finale was cancelled due to safety concerns at the finish. Protests continued on yesterday's stage to the Angliru, with a smaller demonstration near the foot of the climb delaying the breakaway.
Saturday's stage, which kicked off in Avilés, also saw protests as the Vuelta continued, with a large section of pro-Palestine protesters with flags causing a momentary stop to the neutralised roll-out.
Up until this point, 'Israel-Premier Tech' has branded the chests of the eight riders' jerseys, but a social media post from the team on Saturday morning revealed a new design, now featuring the team's logo and a monogram of IPT.
"In the interest of prioritizing the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests atLa Vuelta, Israel–Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race," read a post from the team ahead of stage 14's start.
"The team name remains Israel–Premier Tech, but the monogram kit now aligns with the branding decisions we have previously adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing."
As stated, this follows the decisions they have already taken to remove the words 'Israel-Premier Tech' from their race vehicles and isn't the first time they've changed their riders' kits, with unbranded training jerseys being used in November 2023.
Israel-Premier Tech's jersey for the rest of the Vuelta (Image credit: Israel-Premier Tech)
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James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.
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