Israel – Premier Tech riders delivered a day full of drama at the Tour de Taiwan, culminating in Itamar Einhorn’s first victory of the season and a new race leader in Brady Gilmore, who took the yellow jersey from his teammate, Moritz Kretschy.
Such a scenario is rare in professional cycling, but the bottom line is that IPT now holds both first and second place in the overall standings, with Gilmore and Kretschy tied on time. Gilmore wears the leader’s jersey thanks to his superior average stage placements – which include victory on Stage 2 – over the first four days of the race.
Let’s start with Einhorn, the 27-year-old Israeli sprinter from Modi’in, a pioneer in Israeli cycling as the first to win at the professional level. After four victories last season, Einhorn struggled with a mix of bad luck and rust at the start of this year, narrowly missing out on wins that seemed within reach. But he arrived in Taiwan determined to turn things around – and today, under immense pressure, he delivered.
“I always believed in myself,” says Einhorn. “My sprinting is strong; I just need the right setup.”
That setup came from his teammates, who executed a perfect lead-out in the final meters of the stage. Rotem Tene first pulled at high speed, setting up Gilmore, who then delivered Einhorn to the front at just the right moment. Einhorn did the rest, powering to victory in Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan, just as he did on the same finish 12 months ago.
“We were really united as a team,” Einhorn adds. “Coming into the final we were smart, using the other big teams to pull us in the last 10 kilometers, not taking too much wind. Then, with 1.5 kilometers to go, Moritz, Brady, and Rotem took me to the front. I was in a great position for the final. I just finished it off really well – I had good legs for the sprint. “I hope and believe this is just the beginning of my season.
“More wins will come. It took me some time, but this is a tough sport – nothing comes easy.”
While Einhorn celebrated his stage victory, the team’s bigger goal remains winning the GC. The team started Stage 4 (which departed from the impressive Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum) with German rider Kretschy in yellow, leading Gilmore by three seconds, but with at least a dozen rivals within striking distance. The race turned into a relentless battle against IPT, with multiple attacks aimed at isolating Kretschy.
Fortunately, the team held firm, thanks to a strong lineup and a crucial move by Gilmore. Around 60 kilometers into the stage, the Australian launched a decisive attack on a downhill section, winning an intermediate sprint and gaining a three-second time bonus, which enough to take over the race lead.
Tomorrow, in the final stage, the team will start with both Gilmore and Kretschy tied on time, holding a narrow 6-second advantage over two rivals, Spaniard Jordi Lopéz (EUS) and Italian Lorenzo Quartucci (TFT).
Despite battling for the same prize, Gilmore and Kretschy remain close friends. “It doesn’t matter which one of us wins,” says Kretschy. “We’re like brothers. Of course, I’d love to win, but I’d be just as happy if Brady does. The important thing is that the jersey stays in the team.”
Gilmore echoes the sentiment: “First, we need to secure the overall win — whoever takes it doesn’t matter. But honestly? I’d love for Moritz to win. He helped me win in Rwanda, so he totally deserves it.”
Tomorrow, the team will aim to defend the yellow jersey – and secure back-to-back GC titles in Taiwan after Joe Blackmore’s triumph in 2024 – while also keeping an eye on a possible second victory for Einhorn.
“We need to protect our leaders, but also race aggressively,” says Sports Director Lahav Davidzon. “Defense alone won’t win us the race — we have to take risks to secure the overall victory.”
