A sports director from the recently renamed NSN Cycling team—formerly Israel-Premier Tech—has publicly aired his frustration with the pro-Palestine protests that dominated the latter part of the 2025 season. He says the demonstrators seized on cycling as an “easy target” and smeared the team and its staff as indecent.
In November, the team announced it would rebrand as NSN Cycling, racing the 2026 season under a Swiss license with a Spanish identity. The move is backed by Never Say Never (NSN), a global sports and entertainment company, and Stoneweg, a major investment platform.
The rebranding appeared as the climax of months of upheaval for the squad, which had already faced pressure from race organizers, riders, and sponsors. Notably, title sponsor Premier Tech and bike partner Factor both stepped away as protests linked to the Gaza conflict intensified around the team’s ongoing involvement in cycling’s biggest events.
The protests against the squad reached a fever pitch during the Vuelta a España in August and September. Activists entered the road, race routes were blocked, police clashed with protesters, and several stage finishes were canceled, culminating in mass demonstrations in Madrid on the event’s final day.
In response, the team at times removed any reference to Israel from their jerseys at some races, entered a legal dispute with a departing star rider, Derek Gee, and pulled out of Italy’s autumn classics citing safety concerns.
By early October, the team announced a shift away from its Israeli identity for 2026. Adam Sylvan Adams—who had described the squad as ambassadors for Israel—also stepped back from day-to-day operations.
This month, to underscore a fresh start, NSN Cycling has begun winter training in Spain in plain dark blue kit, riding new Scott bicycles, while the signing of star rider Biniam Girmay was confirmed. Yet Adams’ ongoing presence at the training camp raises questions about how complete the change really is behind the scenes.
Frustrated but hopeful, NSN Cycling’s sports director Francesco Frassi described the rebranding as a new beginning after a tense, hostile 2025 season. In an interview with bici.pro, Frassi—who joined Israel-Premier Tech as a sports director earlier this year after a decade in the team car with Italian squads—said the turmoil caused significant stress.
Frassi admitted he learned most of the intensities about the protests from colleagues and through watching coverage, since he wasn’t at the Vuelta himself. He noted that security concerns also led to the cancellation of some Italian races and a broader withdrawal from autumn classics.
He recalled how supporters sometimes directed hostility toward the team, shouting and even giving the finger, while protesters painted the team as indecent despite the sport’s purpose. He argued that cycling had become an easier target for political pressure, implying that even larger international matches could pass without such scrutiny.
Asked whether he contemplated leaving the team or feared it might fold after 2025, Frassi said no. He credited management for maintaining clear, consistent communication, which he believes helped preserve confidence in the team’s future. He described a strong, cohesive group—more than 150 people at the Denia training camp—and expressed optimism about the 2026 project.
Frassi concluded with a sense of relief and enthusiasm: the team is focused, prepared, and motivated, and, in his words, “we’re happy.”
