Montreal group urges city to bar Israel cycling team from Grand Prix

Pier-Andre Cote from the Israel Premier Tech team rides during the eleventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta cycling race, from Bilbao to Bilbao, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

A Montreal-based group has asked Mayor Valérie Plante to bar the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team from competing in the Grand Prix de Montréal on Sunday.

Palestinian and Jewish Unity, or PAJU, is urging the city to exclude the squad, whose Canadian-Israeli co-owner, Sylvan Adams, has described the riders as ambassadors for Israel.

Although in the face of recent protests, the team has since described itself merely as a “professional cycling team.”

The demand follows recent calls in Spain for the team to withdraw from the Vuelta a España after a pro-Palestinian protest disrupted the race.

Spain’s foreign minister also said he would support expelling Israel-Premier Tech from the Vuelta.

The Vuelta protests prompted Israel-Premier Tech to change its riders’ uniforms at the race.

“In the interest of prioritizing the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at the Vuelta a España, Israel-Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the team said in a statement Saturday.

“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.”

Israel-Premier Tech’s team at the Vuelta includes Canadian rider Pier-André Côté.

Other Canadian riders on the IPT roster include Michael Woods, Hugo Houle, Guillaume Boivin, Riley Pickrell and Derek Gee, who is currently in a contract dispute with the team.

Former Canadian star Steve Bauer is the team’s sporting manager.

The team’s title sponsor, Premier Tech, is based in Rivière-du-Loup, Que.

Jean Bélanger, president and CEO of Premier Tech, and fellow Canadian Kevin Ham, founder and CEO of Reinvent and Chit Chats Canada, are partners in the team.

Meanwhile, Canadian Olympic runner Moh Ahmed and hundreds of others have signed a letter urging Tennis Canada to cancel this weekend’s Davis Cup tie with Israel in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2025.