One of the most important cycling races in the world, the European Championship, will kick off on Sunday afternoon in Belgium, marking a historic milestone for Israeli cycling: for the first time, the country will send four professional riders to the championship.
Guy Sagiv, Itamar Einhorn, Rotem Tene, and Israeli champion Oded Kogut, all members of Israel – Premier Tech’s pro and development teams, will compete tomorrow on a classic Belgian course spanning 223 kilometers, which will also include several tough sections of cobblestones. Their goal is to achieve an even more significant milestone: a high-quality result that no Israeli rider has achieved so far in the European Championships.
“I hope and believe that one of us can achieve a top 10 result,” said Israeli champion Oded Kogut after the team’s final practice in Limburg.
“I personally am in excellent shape, but we will ride as a team and help each other, with the aim of putting the rider in the best position to achieve an outstanding result.”
The best result in the European Championship so far belongs to sprinter Einhorn, who finished 13th in Munich two years ago.
The mere participation of four Israelis in the European Championship reflects the progress of the sport. The fact that Israeli riders have been part of a professional team for years, and their successes both for the team and the national squad, has positioned Israel to earn a ticket to the Paris Olympics this year (represented by Itamar Einhorn) and, as mentioned, the four-man representation in the European Championship.
Can the four riders turn this into a historic result against the world’s top teams? Aviad Izrael, responsible for the younger generation of Israelis from the IPT Academy and who will lead the team tomorrow as Sports Director, believes the key will be the willingness of the four Israelis to work for each other.
He said: “That’s what I expect from them: to ride as a team. We will try to send one of them into a breakaway if such a break occurs in the early stages of the race.
“After that, the loops on the cobblestone sections will likely cause a significant split in the peloton. If we can be there with one, maybe two riders, we will have a chance to reach the final sprint.”
A fifth IPT rider, Mads Würtz Schmidt, will be in action for Denmark on Sunday.
