Sylvan Adams Does the Double!

After winning the 65-69 age category Masters road race at the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship, Sylvan Adams topped off his weekend in Scotland by winning the rainbow jersey in the time trial.

Adams conquered the 87-kilometer (54-mile) road course route of rolling terrain, which was lined with enthusiastic spectators cheering on the cyclists from all over the world.  He then went on to win the time trial by more than one minute over the 22 km course.

“I’m extremely proud of having won the time trial. This discipline is known as the race of truth because there are no tactics like in a road race,” said Adams. “The strongest racer almost always wins. For me, after winning the road race here last week, I’ve done something quite rare in the sport: completing the double championship at Worlds. This also means that I’ve achieved every possible goal that I could have aspired to win in the sport, adding to my two World Championship titles in the velodrome.

“But, loving the sport as I do, I’m already planning to defend my titles in Denmark in 2024. After, of course, doing the 2023 World Masters Track Championships in Manchester this October.

“I’m very happy my hard training paid off, and proud to have won this world title for Israel. My eyes were moist as they played our Israeli national anthem, ‘Hatikvah,’ to which I emotionally sang along,” said Adams.

Adams previously won world championships in velodromes while representing Canada in 2013 and 2015. However, this latest triumph holds a special significance as it marks his first world championship victory as an Israeli cyclist.

Adams has been a driving force behind the Israel-Premier Tech Cycling Team, promoting the sport of cycling and representing Israel globally.

Last month, organizers announced that a season-ending international cycling race will be held in Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates next year, in a major sports event celebrating peace and the Abraham Accords.

The event, which is being dubbed ‘the peace race’ and is the initiative of Adams, is slated to take place in October 2024 and will be divided into three stages between the countries beginning in Israel.

“This will show how the sport of cycling, and sports in general, can be a force for good in bringing peoples and nations together, creating bridges, and having a more peaceful world through sport,” said Adams.