Billionaire businessman and co-owner of the Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) pro cycling team showed his team riders on Friday that he too can win races – world championship races.

65 year-old Sylvan Adams, who did not take up bike racing until age 41, claimed his third world championship title while competing at the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Scotland.

In the men’s 65-69 year-old category on an 85 kilometers long course, the Israeli Adams soloed across the finish line in front of Scone Castle with a solid 30+ second lead in front of a hard charging pack of 50 top masters races from all across the world. Arnaldo Salazar of Venezuela managed to stay clear of the chasers to take the silver medal, 6 seconds behind Adams. Ron Paffen of the Netherlands won the field sprint to claim the bronze medal.

Adam’s world championship title means he is the only Israel-Premier Tech team rider allowed to wear world champion rainbow stripes on his jersey. Something even his top protour riders like Chris Froome, Michael Woods, Jakob Fuglsang, Sep Vanmarcke and Simon Clarke have not earned the right to do.

Though, we doubt he will pull on the rainbow stripes around the protour team, he just enjoys riding with them on training rides and being “one of the boys,” or has he describes it, “rider #32” on IPT.

Photo Credit: UCI World Cycling Championships Glasgow

© 2019-2023 All Rights Reserved Gran Fondo Daily News