Guillaume Boivin and Sylvan Adams outline goals for 2018 Giro d’Italia

The Israel Cycling Academy are set to start their first Grand Tour and on home soil on Friday. The Israeli team is co-owned by Canadian-Israeli real-estate mogul Sylvan Adams who played an important role bringing the Giro to Israel and counts Montreal-native Guillaume Boivin on its roster for the grande partenza in Jerusalem. Ahead of Friday’s 9.7 km time trial in Jerusalem, Boivin and Adams outlined the team’s main goals for the three-weeks.

The Israeli Cycling Academy bring a diverse team to the Giro counting riders from seven countries on their eight man roster. Israeli’s Guy Niv and Guy Sagiv are Israel’s first Grand Tour participants. Ben Hermans (Belgium), Zakkari Dempster (Australia), Krists Nielands (Latvia), Rubén Plaza (Spain) and Kristian Sbaragli (Italy) complete the roster. T

Team co-owner Adams has high expectations for the team outlining the three main goals. “First, to be active in the races as we’ve done all season, especially of late,” Adams said.

“Second, we’d like to win a stage or two! Let’s be optimistic. We can be lucky but we have to make our own luck. I see a stage or two where if we can have the right strategy and the right luck, we can win,” Adams explained.

“Third, bringing Israelis to a Grand Tour was a goal and now that we’ve done that, we want to bring both our Israeli riders, Guy Niv and Guy Sagiv, to Rome to make it through the race,” he explained.

Boivin, who is starting his third career Grand Tours after started the Vuelta a España in 2013 and 2014, said he hopes to inspire the next generation of cyclists through the teams exploits on home soil.

“I was first introduced to the team through Sylvan Adams who is also from Montreal. He explained to me the short and long term vision of the team and I was hooked on the team,” Boivin explained about signing for the squad for the 2016 season. “How often you hear a young team say they’ll be World Tour or ride a Grand Tour? How often does it really happen? And look at us! Starting the Giro—in Israel! It’s incredible.

“Now the goal is to make youngsters dream. I hope it will inspire all the young kids on the side of the road because it all starts with a dream. More than anything, this team shows dreams are possible to obtain,” Boivin said.

Other Canadians who will be on the start line are Svein Tuft of Mitchelton-Scott who will help Simon Yates and Estaban Chaves pursue their general classification ambitions, and Michael Woods who has general classification ambitions of his own after a breakout performance at last years Vuelta and second at Liège–Bastogne–Liège.