Quebecer Guillaume Boivin (centre) of the Israel-Premier Tech Pro Cycling Team competes in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter McCabe

Veteran Canadian cyclist Guillaume Boivin has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Israel-Premier Tech team through 2026.

“Guillaume Boivin is one of the originals, having joined us early on in 2016, and has signed on for his 11th year with the team which is an impressive feat," Israel-Premier Tech GM Kjell Carlström said in a statement. "He is an important member of our sprint train, playing a vital role in positioning and protecting our sprinters so he is an asset to the team — and someone who has also proven himself in the classics."

The 36-year-old from Montreal, a three-time Canadian road race champion, has competed in five editions of the Tour de France and twice competed in the Giro d'Italia and Spanish Vuelta.

"Next year will be 11th year with the team and even though I’ve been doing this for a while now, I’m very excited about the challenges ahead," Boivin said. "Next year will also be a big year with the UCI Road World Championships in my hometown of Montreal. It would be a dream to be there competing next September."

In addition to Boivin, Israel-Premier Tech has given contract extensions to New Zealand's George Bennett (through 2026), France's Hugo Hofstetter (through 2027) and Australia's Nick Schultz (through 2028).

"Every team needs a core group of riders for all race terrains, and these four all play an important role in the team," said Carlström.

Israel-Premier Tech is also home to Canadian riders Michael Woods, Hugo Houle, Pier-Andre Cote and Riley Pickrell. Fellow Canadian Derek Gee is currently trying to extricate himself from his contract with the team.

Targeted by protests in recent months, the team announced last week it is changing its name and moving away from its national identity. It has yet to reveal the new name.

The team says co-owner Sylvan Adams, an Israeli-Canadian billionaire, is also stepping back from day-to-day involvement with the team to focus on his role as regional president of the World Jewish Congress-Israel.

There are other Canadian ties.

Steve Bauer, the first Canadian to win a stage at the Tour de France, is the team's sporting manager.

The team's title sponsor, Premier Tech, is based in Rivière-du-Loup, Que.

Jean Bélanger, president and chief executive officer of Premier Tech, and fellow Canadian Kevin Ham, founder and CEO of Reinvent and Chit Chats Canada, are partners in the team.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025