(JNS) Sylvan Adams, owner of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team, has shown his squad he can compete with the best of them, and is on track to secure a double victory at a major road cycling championships being hosted in Scotland.
Adams, 65, wheeled his way to victory on Friday in the men’s 65- to 69-year-old category at the UCI Cycling World Championships Gran Fondo event, which saw more than 1,800 riders from 68 countries battle it out for one of 20 gold medals and rainbow jerseys.
The Gran Fondo, which translates as “Big Race”, is a long-distance mass participation event celebrating competitive cycling for everyone, not just the professionals.
The top 25 per cent of riders from 27 qualifying events held around the were invited to compete in Scotland.
Israeli-Canadian billionaire Adams completed the 87km course over rolling terrain, finishing in Scone Palace, just outside Perth, in two hours, 19 minutes and 22 seconds.
Only one rider, Arnaldo Salazar, from Venezuela, could match Adams’s pace. Together they built a 30-second gap over the pack with 15km to go. In the final sprint, Adams demonstrated superior strength, leaving Salazar behind, and crossing the finish line in first place.
“I’m very happy my hard training paid off, and proud to have won this world title for Israel. My eyes were moist as they played our [Israeli] national anthem, ‘Hatikvah,’ to which I emotionally sang along,” said Adams.
Adams previously won world championships in velodromes while representing Canada in 2013 and 2015. However, this latest triumph holds a special significance as it marks his first world championship victory as an Israeli cyclist.
Tomorrow, Adams will take on the individual time trial event – and he is determined to secure a double victory for Israel. The 22.8km course will begin and end at West Grange roundabout in Dundee.
“I’m not done yet. I will put my heart and soul in trying to win the World Championship race of truth for the double win in Scotland,” Adams said.
Adams has been a driving force behind the Israel-Premier Tech Cycling Team, promoting the sport of cycling and representing Israel globally.
Last month, organisers announced that a season-ending international cycling race will be held in Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates next year, in a major sports event celebrating peace and the Abraham Accords.
The event, dubbed the “Peace Race” was spearheaded by Adams and is due to take place in October 2024, with the event divided into three stages between the countries, beginning in Israel.
Adams has said the competition will help to demonstrate how cycling “can be a force for good in bringing peoples and nations together”.
Additional reporting by Katie Grant
