After a Giro d’Italia focused on general classification with Derek Gee, Israel-Premier Tech shift their ambitions squarely onto stage victories at the 2025 Tour de France. For their sixth Tour appearance, the team have named an aggressive and varied eight-rider squad capable of contesting bunch sprints, hilly finales and mountainous breakaways.
Sporting Manager Steve Bauer summed up the mission simply: “We want to win a stage.” But he admitted it’s no easy task, calling the fight for stage wins “a common goal for every team” that demands opportunism from day one.
The line-up includes 2023 Puy de Dôme stage winner Michael Woods, sprinter Pascal Ackermann, and Jake Stewart, who took a breakthrough win at this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné. Veteran campaigners Krists Neilands and Guillaume Boivin return for their fifth Tour appearances, joined by debutant Joe Blackmore, Alexey Lutsenko, and Matîs Louvel – the first French IPT rider at the race since 2020.
Photo Credit: GettyBauer pointed to the first three days as full of potential, saying, “Certainly, Ackie and Jake will be key men, backed up by a solid support group.” He also hinted that Israel-Premier Tech could be active in the breakaways before the first rest day, adding, “We can’t afford to let any opportunities go.”
In the high mountains, all eyes will turn to Woods. The Canadian has pedigree in Grand Tour stages and showed decent form at the Tour de Suisse before illness forced his withdrawal. He returns to the Tour aiming to add to his solo win on Puy de Dôme, a result he called “the crowning achievement of my career”.
“I’m really excited about racing my fifth Tour,” Woods said. “It’s the last race on the calendar that I do that still scares me, in a good way. It’s such a challenging race. The level is so high, the risks are big, but the rewards are incredible.”
Woods is aiming to stay anonymous during the first week and emerge later in the race. “Everything from stage six onward I’m excited about. Don’t expect to see me at all during those opening stages – I want to try and stay safe. The only Tour I’ve won a stage in was the only one I didn’t crash in.”
For Pascal Ackermann, the 2025 Tour offers a chance to complete his Grand Tour stage victory set. He already has three stage wins at the Giro and two at the Vuelta but has yet to break through at the Tour. The 31-year-old arrives off the back of a morale-boosting win at the Classique Dunkerque and a disrupted spring.
“I’ve had a lot of bad luck this year, so now it’s time to get back to the sunny times and fight for a stage victory,” said Ackermann. “There are many chances for sprints this year. How great it would be to win a stage and get the yellow jersey!”
The biggest unknown for Israel-Premier Tech is Joe Blackmore, who joins the Tour team less than a year after winning the Tour de l’Avenir. The 22-year-old was selected after showing promise this spring, including strong rides at Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne.
“It’s going to be special with the Grand Départ so close to home,” said Blackmore. “There are a few stages in the first week with punchy uphill finishes that I think I can be competitive in. I hope to help Pascal and Mike, but I want to be around the guys as much as I can and see what I can do to help.”
Bauer praised the young Brit’s composure and development: “Joe is in great shape – it’ll be an experience to see how he manages his first Grand Tour. He’s coped with everything we’ve given him so far.”
The team is built to hunt stage wins from multiple angles – with Woods and Lutsenko for the mountains, Ackermann and Stewart for the sprints, and breakaway options across the board. Whether they can convert that potential into results will come down to seizing the right days.
Israel-Premier Tech line-up for 2025 Tour de France
- Pascal Ackermann
- Joe Blackmore
- Guillaume Boivin
- Matîs Louvel
- Alexey Lutsenko
- Krists Neilands
- Jake Stewart
- Michael Woods
