When Premier Tech announced at the beginning of November that it was stepping away from the Israel team, CEO Jean Bélanger was flooded with calls and emails from interested teams wanting to sign them on as a sponsor. The Roodhooft brothers, Christoph and Philip, were not immediately among them—but in the end, they won the battle for the financially strong Canadian company, which will become the title sponsor of Alpecin-Premier Tech and Fenix-Premier Tech.
The eccentric CEO, who spent four years with Israel and one year with Astana, personally came to the press conference in Antwerp to tell the story behind the deal. “With Christoph and Philip, I found a human connection that dates back at least five years. We were with different teams at the time, but Philip kept the conversation going. We’d meet for a coffee or a glass of wine. Or I’d get a short, informal message on WhatsApp,” Bélanger said.
“His message never sounded like: ‘When are you coming to our team? We can offer you something better!’ No, it was about building trust and forging a good relationship. We only started looking at a collaboration a few weeks ago. I did get some WhatsApps and emails from other interested parties. But I found that a bit opportunistic. What Christoph and Philip stand for appealed to me more. We both think long-term and share the same values.”
Premier Tech is a Canadian multinational company active worldwide in the sectors of horticultural substrates, industrial automation systems, and solutions for water treatment and the environment. The company, headquartered in Québec, claims to provide technological solutions that help feed, protect, and improve the planet.
They find it very important to establish themselves in Europe. “The company originally started with two German immigrants, nearly a hundred years ago in New York. So, we do have some European DNA. We also have divisions of our company in ten European countries. It’s important for us to increase our brand awareness, and you can do that best with one of the largest teams in the world. We can also now do this in off-road disciplines and in women’s cycling, which made this team particularly interesting.”
The Roodhooft brothers secured Premier Tech – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Bélanger also admits that the presence of superstar Mathieu van der Poel helped. “That sparked our interest, but the personal click was more important. It would be a bit opportunistic to join a team just for one rider. Mind you, we think Mathieu is fantastic, but we think more bottom-up. Mathieu is at the top, but the foundation of the team must be solid.”
Canadian ambitions
Would Bélanger like to see that team leader race in Canadian WorldTour races or the 2026 World Championships in Montreal? “If that fits within the team’s overall plan, absolutely. It would be very special to win there, but that’s not part of our agreement. We don’t want to influence that either if it’s not in the program. It’s certain that it will be a very special year for cycling in Quebec and Canada. I hope we create momentum and that the sport gets the attention it deserves in our country.”
That ties into Bélanger’s broader ambition. “We want to create the ideal environment for young Canadian athletes and our hometown Québec to grow into the highest level of cycling. In hockey, they wouldn’t need that kind of support, but in cycling, you face more challenges than riders from Belgium or Italy. But all riders will have to earn those opportunities. We don’t want anyone on the team who isn’t up to the level. Someone like Hugo Houle can be an inspiration for those guys; he’s an important asset to the team.”
For Bélanger, the Roodhooft brothers run the team, but he wants to be an involved partner. And secretly, he has one race on his wish list. “The Tour of Lombardy!” the Canadian surprises.
Laughter erupts in the room, especially from the brothers themselves, who have built their team around all the other monuments and have few climbers in their lineup capable of handling Lombardy. “I’ve never even been there,” Bélanger laughs. “I’ve never even been to a race where one of my teams won. That’s something I’d at least like to experience in the coming year.”
