Abigail Klein Leichman
January 19, 2021

Team Israel Start-Up Nation put its 2021 season into motion with a lighthearted two-minute video showing newest team member Chris Froome trying out his new Hebrew phrases and scooping up hummus with pita like a pro.

Froome, a British four-time Tour de France winner, signed with the Israeli team last August.

Froome’s teammate, Israeli rider Guy Sagiv, also appears in the video, which follows the two riders on their respective training rides via a split screen.

Israel Start-Up Nation cyclist Guy Sagiv. Photo by Romeo Topelberg

The action is interspersed with Froome using everyday Israeli phrases such as “yalla” (let’s go) and “sababa” (amazing, cool). The video culminates with the two riders finishing their ride and enjoying a plate of Israel’s popular chickpea dip, hummus.

The video was released ahead of a 10-day pre-season intensive training camp near Girona, Spain, some of which Froome will attend via satellite as he continues his training and post-injury rehab in California before returning to Europe to join the team’s racing program.

Team Israel Start-Up Nation, Israel’s first professional cycling team, was established in 2015 as “Israel Cycling Academy,” including riders from Israel and abroad. The team is co-owned by Sylvan Adams and Ron Baron.

In 2019, the team joined the World Tour – the highest level of professional cycling — under the name Team Israel Start-Up Nation, securing its place in 2020’s Tour de France. The team also secured its first Grand Tour stage victories in 2020, in both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

Adams emphasized that the team is not just about winning races. “More than just a cycling team, this is a project. There are two sides. On one side, we are promoting cycling in Israel. And on the other side, we are there to promote our home country of Israel. We are representing our home country around the world with true sportsmanship and determination.”

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