In what can be seen as the most significant investment in its future, Israel’s newly founded UCI Pro Continental team Cycling Academy has founded a Development team that will start racing in 2017.

The first-ever Israeli Pro Cycling team has recruited the best U23 Israeli cyclists. The selection process included a series of testing sessions, with the eight final riders making the cut.

“This is an investment, not only in our future, but in the future of Israeli cycling” said team manager Ran Margaliot. “We took not only road cyclists, but also several great Mountain Bikers. We see ourselves responsible to support and guide those young Israeli talents. We want to give them the opportunity to make it to the highest levels of the pro cycling world."

The team management has also recruited Logistics and Professional staff to support the new team. Israel National MTB team Aviad Izrael will be the new team manager.

Spaniard Sports director Oscar Guerrero, who is also working with the senior Pro-Continental team, will direct the young team on the road.

The young team is aiming to race some of the world greatest U23 UCI races, including races such as Paris-Roubaix U23, Giro del Valle d’Aosta and the U23 Giro d’Italia. The Pro Continental “Mother Team” intends to take the best two or three riders from its feeder team as Stagaires later on in 2017.

The 8 new riders are the cream of the crop of Israeli riders from ages 18 to 22 years old. The 8 riders include Guy Leshem (19) who was crowned Juniors National Champion on both Road and XCO, as well as Omer Goldstein, who raced as a stagaire with the senior team in 2016 and achieved 2 Top10 finishes in the recent Tour of Rwanda.

Other riders on the team:
Ido Bear (19)- Israel National Junior ITT Champion in 2015
Guy Niv (22)- Climber 
Itamar Einhorn (19)- A sprinter 
Guy Sessler (21)- Israel Mountain Bike national team member who won national ITT and XCO titles in 2013.
Yam Poliak (19), all-rounder
Ori Leonzini (18) all-rounder 
Omer Goldstein
Guy Leshem

The Israel Cycling Academy Pro continental team already signed 3 Israeli Riders in its ranks and has now taken a major step to guarantee that it will be able to draw more Israeli riders to the Senior squad in the future. Aside for international races, some of them World Cup mountain bike races, the Development Team will be providing full Professional support and will take part in the Pro Continental training camps both in Israel and Europe.

Israel Cycling Academy was founded in December 2014 in Jerusalem, as Israel’s first Professional cycling team, with a clear vision to help Israeli Cycling and bring young cyclists, especially Israelis, to the top levels of cycling.

The team recorded wins in races over 4 continents in the last 20 months, and is backed by sponsors like Cannondale, Lazer, Hertz Israel, and Verge, as well as the Israeli-Canadian philanthropist Sylvan Adams- Israel Cycling Academy is now set to go Pro Continental for the 2017 season.