Israel – Premier Tech Extends Contract with Nick Schultz for Two More Seasons
In late December 2022, Australian rider Nick Schultz was facing the reality that he may not have a team in 2023. That was until Israel – Premier Tech came knocking with a last-minute contract offer.
“This team essentially saved my career so I am incredibly grateful to them for that,” explains Schultz. “I think on both sides the relationship started really well and we see a future together so I’m really grateful they have offered me a chance to extend my contract already and hopefully we can achieve a lot of success together going forward.”
With two more seasons ahead of him, Schultz is excited about the future and aims to build towards the Tour de France selection. “The staff and riders on the team are really friendly and accommodating and it’s a super high-performance environment as well. With everyone we have in this team, it’s really easy to get the most out of myself. Looking ahead to the rest of the season, I would like to find the form I had at the beginning of the year and start building towards the Tour de Suisse and aim for Tour de France selection.”
Israel – Premier Tech owner Sylvan Adams is hopeful that Schultz can follow in the footsteps of his countryman Simon Clarke, who won a Tour de France stage after joining the team last year. Adams says, “Nick found himself in the unfortunate circumstance of his team collapsing before the start of the season and he was without a contract. We knew he was a talented rider and everyone had nothing but good things to say about his character and his abilities as a rider. So we took a chance on Nick and, although we were planning to stay at 27 riders, we opened up a spot for him, as well as Stevie Williams and Domenico Pozzovivo, and in doing so added three really good riders who add a lot of depth to this team.”
General Manager Kjell Carlström also highlighted Schultz’s importance in the team’s leadership group, saying, “Very quickly we saw that Nick Schultz is an invaluable member of the team, bringing depth and leadership to our rider roster and in general, a pleasure to have in the team. He hit the ground running at Ruta del Sol at the beginning of the season and it’s only a matter of time before he scores a big win, as he almost did at the Tour de France last year. At 28-years-old, Nick has a long career ahead of himself and we are sure the best is yet to come.”
