After a chaotic few months of rumours, reshuffles, and sponsor changes, it briefly looked like the 2026 WorldTour sponsorship picture was finally beginning to settle. Instead, the 2025 merry-go-round has spun up again with another twist for the team formerly known as Israel–Premier Tech.
In recent weeks, a new twist emerged with rumours Scott could step in as bike supplier to the team currently registered as Cycling Academy on the UCI’s list of 2026 teams.
Now a fleet of Scott Foil bikes, appearing to be ex-Q36.5 team equipment, has been spotted at the IPT service course in Girona. Escape Collective has seen photos of the new fleet in place at the service course, and Dan Benson reported the apparent swap this week. However, things are not as simple as they seem.
A new sponsor? Or hedging bets?
That sighting seems to confirm what had been rumoured for weeks: that Scott will replace Factor as the team’s bike supplier for 2026, marking a major reshuffle in the upper tiers of the sponsorship landscape. But even still, the situation is far from clear.
According to individuals with direct knowledge of the situation, the sponsorship question has not yet been fully settled. Riders have been informed to expect both Factor and Scott bikes at the team’s upcoming November–December training camp.
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