Posted Jun 2, 2023 9:12 am ET
Riley Pickrell of Canada rides in the final of the men’s 1000m time trial during the Commonwealth Games in London on August 1, 2022. (Ian Walton / AP)
Canadian rider Riley Pickrell will turn pro with the Israel Premier Tech team next year, transferring from Premier Tech Academy.
The 21-year-old from Victoria joins Israel’s Premier Tech squad alongside fellow Canadians Michael Woods, Derek Gee, Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin.
Pickrell is the fifth Israeli Premier Tech rider to advance from academy to the pro team.
“I am delighted to welcome Riley to IPT in 2024. Following in the footsteps of his former academy teammates Derek Gee, Marco Frigo and Mason Hollyman, Riley has shown real potential in our continental U23 development program and earned his place in our team,” said team owner Sylvan Adams, a Canadian- Israeli entrepreneur, in a statement.
“He is one of several great candidates from Canada in our system, in addition to our promising group of young drivers from Israel.”
Pickrell received his two-year contract after showing he is one of the best sprinters in the U23 rankings, Israel’s Premier Tech GM Kjell Carlstrom said. Pickrell caused quite a stir when he won a stage at last year’s U23 Giro d’Italia
“Over the past three years I’ve grown significantly within the development team and I feel like I’m ready to make the step up,” said Pickrell. “I’ve really enjoyed the last three years at the Academy. They have given me a fantastic opportunity to learn how to be a cyclist and develop into a rider who can be competitive at a pro level.”
Pickrell won bronze in both the U23 individual time trial and the road race at last year’s Canadian Road Championships.
He finished 29th in the 2022 Commonwealth Games road race in Birmingham, England, where he also competed in the team pursuit.
Israel-Premier Tech’s partners include Adams and fellow Canadians Jean Belanger and Kevin Ham.
Former Canadian cycling star Steve Bauer is one of the team’s athletic directors. Other Canadians involved include performance director Paulo Saldanha, trainer Christopher Rozdilsky, soigneur (supervisor) Jon Adams and chief mechanic Andreas Back Watt.
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This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 2, 2023
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