Omer Goldstein and Shagy Shagiv signed today (Thursday) for another year with the Israeli Premier Tech group. Both riders are expected to be included in the squad of the team that will probably drop to the pro-continental level.
After the retirement of Guy Niv, the team was left with three Israelis in the squad, where, in addition to Goldstein and Geev, there is also the sprinter Itamar Einhorn, who is signed until 2024. Premier Tech is thinking of bringing up one or two riders from the academy team for the coming year, but a final decision has not yet been made. The prominent riders who were marked are Nadav Raisberg, Rotem Tana and Oded Kogot.
“I think I still have a long way to go until I reach my peak, to realize all the potential I have,” said Omar Goldstein, who participated in the Valetta España this season and will represent the team in the Tour de France in 2021, “Every year I take another step forward, learn to do things Truer and stronger to achieve victory in this arena. I was close but close is not enough. I hope and believe that I will achieve it in the coming season.’
The 27-year-old Shagib, who represented Israel at the World Road Bike Championship last month, said: “I am very proud of this unique position – to be part of the team’s crazy journey from its days as a tiny team until today. In the great high tide moments and also in the less good moments we experienced. With all the difficulties we experienced this year, no one, and certainly not me, could have imagined that we would get this far with this team. As an Israeli, as someone who represents her Israeli identity along with some of my friends, this is something almost unimaginable.’
Goldstein is considered the senior Israeli in the team and he will start his seventh season in the Israeli team. Last year he finished three times on the podium in stages at races in Burgos, Rwanda and Kofi-Bartali. Goldstein was supposed to participate in the Tour de France in July, but was removed from the squad at the last minute due to being near a corona patient. He then participated in Valletta España and finished in 63rd place overall, when in the 19th segment he finished in seventh place.
Shagiv will start his ninth season at Premier Tech and is considered the oldest Israeli in the team. Remember, he was the first Israeli to finish a Grand Tour race – the Giro d’Italia that was launched in Jerusalem in 2018. In the coming year, Gab hopes to establish his status as a racing captain and help his friends achieve results on the road.