A friend from another planet: the moment that may succeed in connecting Israel to the Tour de France
Even when "Israel Premier Tech" manages to win a section in the column, Israelis are not sure what its connection to the country is.
When the distances between us and Europe are so great, sometimes all it takes is a small picture, to feel up close the magnitude of the achievement
Paz Hasdai
09/07/2022
Saturday, 09 July 2022, 08:00
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"Israel Premier Tech" celebrates the first ever victory for an Israeli team in the Tour de France (Photo: Sprint Cycling. Video editing: Aviad Balili)
The constant mantra in the Olympics is that in every competition one has to incorporate a “normal” person to give proportions to the crowd, to illustrate how high these athletes jump high and run fast.
For me, this really happened with the bicycle on the streets of Tel Aviv.
The gyro was hosted in Israel, and the best riders in the world passed by my house, my track, the streets where I pedal all my life.
I got to see up close the speed at which these animals galloped, in those sections where I was sure I was skilled.
I have seen them take turns at an unimaginable speed as they are close to each other, accelerating with confidence and daring, in exactly those turns where I slow down carefully.
They looked super creatures, while we waited to cheer them on in the street, and they passed us in a flash of a second, aliens bent over with pointed helmets.
The Giro was to be the ticket of the bicycle industry to Israel, after the huge production that landed here, with three days of broadcasts and incessant reports.
But our cute patriotic State of Israel was not really interested in bicycles, but mainly in how we are seen and what is said about us in the world.
Tens of thousands of Israelis stood on the roads and encouraged the riders, but mostly encouraged themselves.
The hope was that there would still be some Israelis who would have these mirrors engraved in their heads, because that's how it works.
To appreciate a sport, you must experience it on your own, watch it with your own eyes up close, feel, feel, hear the sounds of toothpicks turning, feel the breeze.
Moments when we were able to momentarily recognize the power.
The Giro in Israel (Photo: Berni Ardov)
And speaking of another star, last weekend Copenhagen hosted the opening of the Tour de France.
Every Israeli cyclist who lands in the capital of Denmark and starts riding the city streets, gets a surprising experience that throws him into a world of legends.
Everyone on Israel's roads and sidewalks faces the wild and threatening behavior of cyclists, amazed to discover an alternative reality in which the trails are not only wide and tidy and separated and invested, but also the riders themselves are subject to traffic laws.
They are kind and careful.
Bypass only on the left.
They are signaling, for God's sake, signaling!
Raise a hand and mark where to turn, to keep order.
And the strangest thing of all: at traffic lights they stand in line.
Do not stand sideways on the side of the road in a row to be first, but wait for your turn, one after the other.
It is sad to discover how astonishing such elementary behavior perceives us.
And when this is the reality, when bicycles are a basic thing in your being, you can later understand why tens of thousands of people came only to show the riders in the Tivoli Gardens in the city center.
Some nice Danes came to the venue especially just for the privilege of watching the riders stand on stage and wave to the audience.
The next day, on the first day of the column, in the counter-clockwise section, in pouring rain, the residents of Copenhagen filled the track.
The announcer introduced the riders one after the other, gave introductory words to each of the 180 competitors, and the crowd cheered and cheered enthusiastically.
From time to time the yields increased, they do not know the characters, distinguish between Philippsen and Jacobsen, remember the achievements.
Just enjoy the opportunity to stand by the track and cheer.
Chris Fromm, Israel Premier Tech (Photo: GettyImages, DAVID STOCKMAN)
In Israel, of course, the situation is the opposite.
One can imagine the public outrage if one of the northern roads were closed on Saturday in favor of a bicycle race, causing traffic jams and congestion for "these hallucinations."
Who among us has not encountered them on Saturday morning on the side of the road, in the lone brave who endanger themselves, how exceptional they seem.
This is precisely why it is difficult to digest the "Israel Premier Tech" group.
It is not clear what its connection is here, to the whole of Israeli existence, which is essentially far from the world of advanced cycling, which at least in the Tour de France also conveys wealth and prestige.
So it was nice to experience up close the effort involved, the investment in the team.
See dozens of technicians handling bicycles, in every little detail.
See them scrubbing the tire with soap, brushing the chains, meticulous about every detail, with non-Israeli professionalism.
Suddenly understand in more depth what preparation for the passage is, what one learns and how much one eats.
Understand what the phrase "Omar Goldstein will have to miss the column for fear of Corona" means, absorbing how grueling training and a whole year of anticipation for this moment was erased.
Then Guy Niv jumps in his place, and the next day sees him training like an animal for the first section, which is against the clock.
Watch him warm up on a stationary "exercise bike," pedaling like crazy to keep his heart rate high, even before he even starts.
You can feel the tremor in your back.
Clark on curbs in column (Photo: Reuters)
Then this week the Australian Simon Clark wins a section for the Israeli team, and again the question arises what is this team's connection to Israel.
After all, the riders are gentile.
The coaches are foreign.
European sporting director Sylvan Adams Kennedy.
But its owners are Israelis.
Some of its riders are Israeli.
It has Israeli coaches, an Israeli development and care group, Israeli managers.
Of course, her name.
In general, the Israeli connection is just a bonus.
It's enough to be a sports fan to appreciate Clark's achievement that at 35, on the verge of retirement and despair, he manages to find a team he believes in and wins a section after a dramatic finish, after a final mile in which he demonstrated Sprinter's physical and mental skills.
Or to understand the drama going on for Chris Fromm these days, the column champion four times in the past, an athlete with a champion’s head, a lion’s heart and injured legs.
Or to understand the wondrous superiority of Tadey Fugacher, who rides with the stick, and suddenly decides to accelerate and leaves everyone behind to illustrate what the difference is between him and the best riders in the world.
More on Walla!
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To the full article
Effort, victory, loss, happiness.
Guy Niv (Photo: Official Website, Israel Premier Tech, Noa Arnon)
Sometimes it’s a picture that makes the difference.
A small moment, which produces an emotional connection, and illustrates the complex reality.
Like for example the picture of Guy Niv, after the fifth segment, when his whole face is dirty and covered with dirt, from a combination of sweat and water and dust.
His palms are bleeding after gripping the handlebars for a grueling 157km, which included 19km of impossible riding on curbstones.
One can literally imagine the effort on the back, on the body, while you pedal on a winding road, competing in front of the top of the top.
And yet he smiles, dissatisfied, proud of his friend, proud of himself for finishing another section, even if it's in 121st place.
Another small victory for him, for the industry, for Israel.
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Tour de France
Israel Premier Tech
Guy Niv