A 2018 Giro d’Italia wildcard team contingent is making its desert debut to increase awareness of its riders and mission.
Israel Cycling Academy will host a meet-and-greet event, talk and Q&A on March 1 in Phoenix, one of their stops across the Western U.S. to introduce the world to a team that’s already making waves in cycling and global acceptance.
“What they’re doing is more than just riding bikes,” said Rene Lucas, a physician at the CORE Institute, an orthopedic practice in Phoenix, where the event will take place. “With one of the most diverse teams in this sport, they’re riding toward peace and understanding, and its signifcance will reach far beyond the sports world.”
The team comprises cyclists of three religions, from 16 different countries on five continents. Israel Cycling Academy was chosen as a wildcard team for this year’s Giro d’Italia, which starts in Jerusalem and passes through other Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv.
Among the team members are three current national champions. Also on the team, Spain’s Ruben Plaza and Italy’s Kristian Sbaragli have won stages of the Tour de France and Vuelta de Espana respectively. The team also includes five of Israel’s top cyclists, including national champion Roy Goldstein, hoping to make their mark on the international stage.
The team says it claims the title of the world’s most diverse team, and that it is a living embodiment of the potential for sport to bring people together.
“From day one, we have always seen our team obligations reaching beyond the sports world,” said ICA’s general manager, Ran Margaliot. “We have a role as sports ambassadors but also as human ambassadors. We are ambassadors of goodwill, demonstrating the high values of human behavior, and carrying a message of peace.”
Lucas said he wanted to host the event to highlight the team’s mission for every rider to be an ambassador for peace through diversity and understanding. He said a morning ride is possible, and asks that if interested in a ride, include in RSVP.
An Evening with Israel Cycling Academy
Who: ICA General Manager Ran Margaliot, ICA development coach (TBA), ICA rider (TBA)
When: March 1 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The CORE Institute, Suite 320, Excellence Conference Room, 18444 N. 25th Ave., Phoenix, Ariz. 85023
RSVP and questions: Rene Lucas, renelucas@cox.net
- Edwin Alvila (Colombia, 27)
- Guillaume Boivin (Canada, 28)
- Zak Dempster (Australia, 30)
- Jose Manuel Diaz (Spain, 22)
- Nathan Earle (Australia, 29)
- Sondre Holst Enger (Norway, 23)
- Omer Goldstein (Israel, 21)
- Roy Goldstein (Israel, 24)
- Ben Hermans (Belgium, 31)
- August Jensen (Norway, 26)
- Luis Lemus (Mexico, 25)
- Krists Neilands (Latvia, 23)
- Guy Niv (Israel, 23)
- Ahmet Örken (Turkey, 24)
- Ben Perry (Canada, 23)
- Ruben Plaza (Spain, 37)
- Mihkel Raim (Estonia, 24)
- Guy Sagiv (Israel, 22)
- Kristian Sbaragli (Italy, 27)
- Hamish Schreurs (New Zealand, 23)
- Daniel Turek (Czech Republic, 24)
- Dennis van Winden (Netherlands, 29)
- Tyler Williams (USA, 22)
- Aviv Yechezkel (Israel, 23)
The CORE Institute sponsors a local Arizona racing club, CORE Racing and its team director, Steve Cullinan, is a 2017 Masters World Champion.
This story is sponsored by CORE Institute.