May 01, 2018 (Jerusalem, Israel) – At a packed press conference in Jerusalem this afternoon, Israel Cycling Academy laid out their Giro d’Italia goals in no uncertain terms, including winning a stage and supporting the two Israeli riders on the roster.

Team co-owner Sylvan Adams stated the team’s three goals for the Giro. “First, to be active in the races as we’ve done all season, especially of late. Second, we’d like to win a stage or two! Let’s be optimistic. We can be lucky but we have to make our own luck. I see a stage or two where if we can have the right strategy and the right luck, we can win. Third, bringing Israelis to a Grand Tour was a goal and now that we’ve done that, we want to bring both our Israeli riders, Guy Niv and Guy Sagiv, to Rome to make it through the race.”

Sharing the distinct honor with his teammate of being the first Israeli cyclists to ever ride a Grand Tour, Israeli Guy Niv insisted that riding the Giro is about more than just his personal cycling career. “It’s a great opportunity for me. I’m really excited but I’m here not only to ride well for my team but also to hopefully be an inspiration to young Israeli riders who will see us racing this weekend. We hope the Giro will change the culture of Israeli cycling over the next few years.”

The team previously acknowledged that selecting Sagiv and especially Niv, who began road cycling in 2017 after mountain biking professionally, was risky. Margaliot said one of the team’s priorities will be to “make sure we are guiding the young guys. We will dedicate a lot of energy to that.”

Compatriot Guy Sagiv told the press, “For every kid who rides, the dream is first to become a pro cyclist, then the next dream is to take part in a Grand Tour, and that really excites me, especially when it’s here in Israel, so it’s triple excitement for me. Growing up in Israel there was no specific team to dream of, but now for kids in Israel they have this team to aspire to.”

Ben Hermans has been impressed with the growth he’s seen from his Israeli teammates. “It’s a big step forward for Guy and Guy in just the few months since I’ve met them. They’re really at the level to do a Grand Tour. It’s surprised me but they’re ready.”

Australian veteran Zak Dempster expressed confidence in his Israeli teammates abilities. “I met Guy about a year and a half ago. From the get go, he is a gentle person but also very direct and that shines though in the way he rides with the team how he operates. When I joined this team, I became the veteran before I’d even turned thirty! But now I am actually thirty and it’s refreshing to see the guys learning things every race. They’re motivated and then they get that motivation beaten out of them after a tough day, but then it comes back stronger than ever. It’s nice to be part of a young group who don’t know what they’re in for,” he laughed.

Guillaume Boivin said, “I was first introduced to the team through [team co-owner] Sylvan Adams who is also from Montreal. He explained to me the short and long term vision of the team and I was hooked on the team. How often you hear a young team say they’ll be World Tour or ride a Grand Tour? How often does it really happen? And look at us! Starting the Giro—in Israel! It’s incredible. Now the goal is to make youngsters dream. I hope it will inspire all the young kids on the side of the road because it all starts with a dream. More than anything, this team shows dreams are possible to obtain.”

For Kristian Sbaragli, this edition of the Giro is a home race in every sense. “As an Italian, to be part of this team and start the Giro in Jerusalem is something special. Personally, it’s my home race and it starts from the home town of my team. I’m excited to start the Giro and to start with my team. I really felt the difference from when I arrived here in Israel, I’m being honest when I say this team really is like a family. When the team goes well, it’s easy to see but when the team has a hard day, it’s even more apparent we are a family, just when you need it the most.”

Reflecting on his lengthy career, Ruben Plaza said, “When you are nearing the end of your career, you always try to enjoy the attention. I don’t know if this will be my last Grand Tour so I just want to enjoy it. My main goal is to win a stage or certainly fight for it. The goal of the team is the same. We have ahead of us three hard weeks to try to do it.”

While just a few years ago, Ran Margaliot was a self-described lost soul upon the conclusion of his brief cycling career, today he stood on stage in Jerusalem to introduce his eight selected riders to the media ahead of the Giro d’Italia’s unprecedented Big Start in Israel.

The journey has come full circle for General Manager Margaliot. A chance meeting with Ron Baron, a philanthropist and passionate cyclist, led to the pair founding Israel Cycling Academy. Today, Israel Cycling Academy’s eight man Giro team started their first Giro training ride from the same café in the Jerusalem hills where Margaliot and Baron first met. The team will continue training this week in the Jerusalem mountains ahead of the Giro’s opening time trial in central Jerusalem on Friday.

Speaking about the team’s vision for the cycling in Israel, Margaliot said, “The concept was to use this beautiful platform, these great athletes, this amazing opportunity from the media, and this special edition of the Giro to inspire an entire generation of new cyclists.”