THEMOVE Podcast Summary: Israel-Premier Tech’s Transformation to NSN Pro Cycling (Nov 21, 2025)

Host: Spencer Martin (subbing, Lance not present)
Guest Analyst: Johan Bruyneel

Episode Overview

This episode delivers in-depth analysis of the recent and controversial transformation of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team into NSN Pro Cycling, set for the 2026 season. Spencer Martin and Johan Bruyneel untangle the complicated web of ownership, funding, and politics behind the switch—including the continued involvement of Sylvan Adams, key sponsor departures, team mechanics, and the broader business and political context.

The conversation also branches into:

• Insights on Derek Gee’s unresolved exit and lawsuit
• The role of bike sponsors Factor and Scott
• The Vuelta a España’s controversial route/host city debacle tied to the team
• Analysis of Grand Tour contenders’ schedules
• Deep dive into Tadej Pogačar’s Tour de France performance numbers and the relevance of VO2 Max, with a side discussion on Greg LeMond’s famed physiological metrics

The tone is frank, lightly irreverent, and explanatory—sometimes wry or skeptical.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The NSN Pro Cycling Transition: Sponsorship or Total Sale?

• Announcement Shock & Uncertainty: News breaks that Israel-Premier Tech is rebranding to NSN Pro Cycling, with a new joint venture involving Stoneweg (a Swiss investment platform) and nsn (an events promoter).

• Did Sylvan Adams Actually Sell the Team?

  • Johan suspects Adams still plays a central (and financial) role despite the official narrative:

    “I have no evidence, but my intuition says this is obviously Sylvan Adams using his network of contacts to keep the team going…at least for 2026, the main financial backer will remain the pockets of Sylvan Adams.” — Johan (05:03)

  • Adams appears to be publicly stepping back due to mounting political pressure over his Israeli ties, but Johan doubts his continued financial commitment without public involvement.

• Cycling’s Broken Business Model

  • Both hosts emphasize that running a cycling team is financially loss-making:

    “The business model of cycling right now is definitely not a good investment at all. Only if you want to lose money.” — Johan (00:00, repeated at 10:24)

2. Stoneweg and NSN: Strategic Sponsors or Shell Companies?

• Stoneweg’s Involvement: Linked since at least 2023, with speculation that this is more Adams’ networking than external buy-in.
• Using Cycling Teams for Business Perks
  • Corporations use team sponsorship for marketing write-offs and schmoozing VIP clients, not profit.

3. Derek Gee Situation: Lawsuit and Implications

• Gee’s Exit and Ongoing Lawsuit

  • The team’s restructuring likely frees Gee to negotiate out of his contract and join Ineos, though legal avenues remain in play.

    “This situation is in favor of Derek G. making the move and leave the team.” — Johan (12:41)

  • Confusion remains on whether the paying agent and license have truly changed hands.

• Cultural Role of the Team Owner

  • Bruyneel relays insider comments that Adams viewed himself as the team’s central ‘cyclist’—highlighting the idiosyncratic leadership style that may soon fade.

4. Bike Sponsor Shakeup: Factor Out, Scott In

• Financial Realities of Sponsorship
  • Factor bikes departs and Scott replaces them; Factor unlikely to resurface in the World Tour due to cost.
  • Factor’s shift to George Hincapie’s lower-level team is seen as much more financially practical.

5. Vuelta a España Controversy: Politics and Hosting

• Gran Canaria Backing Out
  • The planned Grand Tour finale in the Canary Islands is in jeopardy due to objections linked to the newly-rebranded team’s “previous” connections to Israel.
  • Both hosts are skeptical, positing it’s an excuse to back out of a €6.5 million commitment.

    “That was a strange statement, Spencer. It makes no sense...I think it's a very stupid, weak reason.” — Johan (17:27)

  • Practical relief for riders: bypassing a logistically nightmarish trip to the islands at the end of a Grand Tour.

6. Remco, the 2026 Grand Tours, and Rivals

• Remco Evenepoel’s Scheduling Dilemma
  • Will Soudal-Quick Step (Red Bull Team in 2026) pit Remco against Pogačar at the Tour, or hedge bets with the Giro d’Italia? The field is increasingly stacked regardless, especially at the Giro.
• Assessing Remco’s Capabilities
  • Johan contends Remco can beat everyone except Pogačar and Vingegaard and may still have room to improve in a better-organized team environment.

    “There's two guys that we can safely say Remko cannot beat. It's Jonas and Tadej. Everybody else, for me…he can [beat them].” — Johan (24:13)

7. Tadej Pogačar’s Insane Numbers: Data Analysis

• Review of New Scientific Study
  • A just-published study (Journal of Science and Cycling) estimated Pogačar’s Tour de France 2024/25 numbers, including 6.9 w/kg for 38 minutes (Plato de Belles), and a possible VO2 Max in the high 90s—remarkable even for a pro cyclist.

    “That's 82 VO2 max for that effort. That is a huge watt per kilo number for 39, 38 minutes.” — Spencer (32:48)

  • Both hosts note that this consistent, otherworldly performance level across an entire season is a good indicator of clean racing, given the difficulty in maintaining such form artificially.

Standout Quotes on Physiology

• “He attacks and then rides tempo.” — Johan on Pogačar’s relentless riding style (31:25)

• “He's a freak of nature, you know.” — Johan on Pogačar (39:24)

8. VO2 Max Debate: Greg LeMond’s Mythologized Numbers

• Johan shares a little-known anecdote, reading from a real VO2 Max test of LeMond (from the off-season after his hunting accident)—74.7 ml/kg/min, notably lower than LeMond’s claimed “best ever” value:

  “Here I have the VO2 Max test of Greg LeMond…74.7, which is very average.” — Johan (37:18)

• Spencer and Johan use this tangent to caution about how VO2 Max can fluctuate with weight, training, and measurement methods.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 00:00 | “Having a cycling team is not a great investment. You're not making any money…only if you want to lose money.” | Johan Bruyneel | | 05:03 | “At least for 2026, the main financial backer will remain the pockets of Sylvan Adams.” | Johan Bruyneel | | 17:27 | “That was a strange statement, Spencer. It makes no sense…but I think it's a very stupid, weak reason.” (on Vuelta/Canary Islands controversy) | Johan Bruyneel | | 24:13 | “There's two guys that we can safely say Remko cannot beat. It's Jonas and Tadej. Everybody else, for me…he can [beat them].” | Johan Bruyneel | | 32:48 | “That's 82 VO2 max for that effort. That is a huge watt per kilo number for 39, 38 minutes.” | Spencer Martin | | 37:18 | “…the VO2 Max test of Greg LeMond…74.7, which is very average.” | Johan Bruyneel |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:24 — Introduction & main stories rundown
• 04:16 — Deep dive: Israel-Premier Tech's transition to NSN, Adams’ status
• 09:45 — Stoneweg’s real role and Stoneweg as sponsor
• 12:03 — Derek Gee saga & contract dispute implications
• 15:51 — Bike sponsor reshuffling: Factor exits, Scott enters
• 16:21 — Vuelta a España location politics & Gran Canaria exit
• 21:27 — Grand Tour scheduling and Remco Evenepoel’s 2026 options
• 32:38 — Scientific analysis: Pogačar’s power numbers & what it takes to win the Tour
• 35:02 — Greg LeMond’s real VO2 Max, myth vs reality

Flow and Tone

The dialogue is candid and accessible yet technical—inviting all levels of cycling fans to understand the financial, organizational, and physiological issues at play. Both hosts combine industry insider perspective with skepticism and dry humor, questioning official narratives and offering blurry-the-line hearsay—deliberately acknowledging speculation when evidence is lacking.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode explains the bewildering politics and business tactics behind one of pro cycling’s most headline-grabbing offseason changes, lays out how the sausage is made when it comes to team ownership, funding, and sponsor wrangling, and closes with a compelling geek-out on what it really takes, physiologically and organizationally, to win at the top level of the sport. Johan’s inside anecdotes—especially about Greg LeMond—add a human, historic twist.

You’ll walk away understanding:

• Why cycling teams change names and ‘owners’ so fluidly in sponsor-driven sports.
• How team politics, geopolitics, and business interests collide.
• What truly elite performance numbers look like in modern Grand Tours.
• Why the business of pro cycling is as precarious as its racing.