Cycling: The Israel Start-Up Nation's rider names read well. However, the corresponding results could not be retracted. Will the team be able to perform better in 2022?
Israel Start-Up Nation 2021: Many names, little success
Big names don't promise big things. The Israel Start-Up Nation has signed many top drivers over the past two years. But the professionals didn't deliver. Chris Froome still suffering from the consequences of his fall. His best finish of 2021 was 22nd on stage four of the UAE Tour - a sprint finish. At the Tour de France, his best result of the day was 72nd place. Only a few still believe that the Briton will one day be able to win races again. The year for was also disappointing Sep Vanmarcke and Andre Greipel. The classics specialist was unable to impress in any of his favorite races. And the German sprinter could be happy if he even made it into the sprint properly in a mass finish. After all, he was able to celebrate two wins of the season at the Ruta del Sol and at the Trofeo Alcudia-Port d'Alcudia. Dan Martin won the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia and finished tenth overall - those were his greatest successes in 2021. The Israel Start-Up Nation was actually only convincing Michael Woods. The Canadian finished fifth overall in the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie. While he won the mountain classification on the first-mentioned tour, he celebrated a day's victory on the last-mentioned tour. He finished fourth at the Flèche Wallonne, fifth at Liège – Bastogne – Liège and ninth at the Tour of Lombardy. He can be satisfied with his year - the team as a whole definitely not.
Israel Start-Up Nation 2022: Everything has to get better
The Israel Start-Up Nation cannot possibly be satisfied with the 2021 season. The big names in the team cost a lot of money and hardly any of it could be repaid with successes. The team reacted accordingly. With Andre Greipel, Dan Martin and Davide Cimolai at least three Ü32 drivers leave the team. But the additions do not exactly suggest that the philosophy has changed. With James Nizzolo and Jakob Fuglsang you get a 32- or 36-year-old on the team again. Both the Italian and the Dane are far from their best days. It almost seems as if the Israel Start-Up Nation has specialized in drivers who are already well above the peak. Can this be used to achieve the desired results? Hardly likely. This also changes the obligations of Hugo Houle and Corbin Strong nothing. After all, the Canadian and Australian are only 31 and 21 years old, respectively. But they are unlikely to win in 2022.