Punching above his weight is the unofficial mantra for Cycling Academy General Manager Ran Margaliot, who rode a single year on the WorldTour with Saxo Bank in 2012, so it should come as no surprise that the 28-year-old was able to take his Israeli pro team from an inkling of an idea to the Pro Continental level in just over three years.
Dreaming of cycling greatness was an odd goal for an Israeli boy coming up in a country where the only pro to look up to was Yehuda Gershoni, a figure from the 1980s who rode with Sean Kelly at Skil-SEM and retired four years before Margaliot was born. But after some junior racing success, Margaliot was encouraged to set a high goal, and from that point on he was determined to become the first Israeli to ride in the Tour de France.
"I really figured out that making it to the Tour de France would bring the sport to the public attention here in our country," he said. "I thought, 'OK, that will be my breakaway plan, if I'm able to bring the sport to the attention of the public, that's how I'm going to change the sport.'"
ADVERTISEMENT
The lack of cycling tradition in Israel was just the first obstacle to overcome, however, as Margaliot, who raced in Europe as a junior with an amateur team, quickly had to navigate the three years of mandatory military service that all Israelis are required to fulfill beginning at age 18.
The military requirement can often end a young Israeli rider's professional aspirations, but a spot on the Suanier-Duval U23 team in Spain for the 2008 season allowed Margaliot to get a special dispensation from the army that allowed him to train around his service, and he signed with the Footon-Servetto development team in 2009. That season led to a spot in the UCI's World Cycling Centre Programme in 2010 and a stagiaire spot on the Footon-Servetto WorldTour team at the end of the year.
Margaliot met Bjarne Riis in 2011, and a stagiare spot with Saxo Bank-Sungard followed at the end of that season. Margaliot's Tour de France dream was one step closer when he signed with Saxo Bank in 2012, but it ended abruptly when his contract was not renewed the following year. He raced just 26 days with Riis' WorldTour squad that year, and at the end of the season Riis broke the news that Margaliot's goal of riding in the Tour de France would have to continue someplace else. Margaliot was 24 and facing "retirement" from a sport in which he believed he had only scratched the surface.
Turning a loss into a win
A Canadian boost
Team's goals go beyond winning races
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2hR2HWv
No comments:
Post a Comment