Canada’s Riley Pickrell to ride for Israel – Premier Tech in 2024

Another Canuck is riding on the WorldTour team, Israel – Premier Tech. Riley Pickrell will join the revelation of the Giro, and friend Derek Gee, on the team for 2024. In a release, the team spoke of the upgrade for the the 21-year-old sprinter. He is in his third year with Israel – Premier Tech Academy, during which time team management said they been impressed by his sprinting prowess and “never give up attitude.”

“I am excited to welcome Riley to IPT in 2024. Following in the footsteps of his former Academy teammates, Derek Gee, Marco Frigo and Mason Hollyman, racing in our u-23 Continental development program, Riley has shown real promise, and has earned his spot on our team. He is one of several great prospects in our system from Canada, in addition to our promising group of young riders from Israel. Welcome, Riley, we are expecting great things from you next year,” Sylvan Adams, IPT owner said.

IPT General Manager Kjell Carlström said that Pickrell’s two-year deal is part of the team’s focus on recruiting young talent, a focus validated by the success of IPT’s young riders at the Giro d’Italia with Gee.

“Riley Pickrell is one of the top sprinters in the u-23 ranks and a rider we believe has a big career ahead of him, so it was a natural decision to sign him as a neo pro for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. His stage win in last year’s Giro d’Italia Giovani u-23 was a sign of what is to come, and he again came close to victory on multiple occasions at this year’s Tour de Bretagne. Riley will be the fifth rider to step up from the Academy to the ProTeam since the inception of our development team in 2020 and our results at this year’s Giro d’Italia were a testament to the success of our development program,” Carlström said.

In-depth interview with Derek Gee on the Giro d’Italia and the seconds that count

Pickrell says he feels ready to make the move up to the big league after his tenure at IPT Academy.

“I’m super happy to be making the step up to the ProTeam in 2024. Over the last three years, I have grown a lot within the development team and I feel I am ready to make the step up. I’ve really enjoyed the last three years with the Academy, it has given me a fantastic opportunity to learn how to become a bike racer and develop into a rider who can be competitive at the pro level. I’m looking forward to continuing to develop over the next two years and taking any opportunity I can to perform to the best of my abilities,” Pickrell said.

The British Columbia native said watching his former teammates like Gee excel at the Giro has him excited for 2024.

“It has been amazing to see what my former Academy teammates have done at the Giro d’Italia this year. It has really motivated me to see what I can do next year and has shown me what is possible. Over the next 2 years, I hope to continue the expectation created by former Academy graduates and show the quality of riders this program is producing by hopefully getting results for the team and myself,” Pickrell added.

Currently, there are four Canadians on IPT. Michael Woods, Derek Gee, Hugo Houle, and Guillaume Boivin.