Sam Bewley, Rene Mandri join as sport directors and Steve Bauer takes over at Israel Premier Tech

There are shakeups at Israel-Premier Tech among its sport director team.

Sam Bewley and Rene Mandri will join as sport directors for 2023, while Steve Bauer will move into the role of Head Sports Director. Zak Dempster, Claudio Cozzi, and Nicki Sørensen will leave the team, officials confirmed Thursday.

“Our sports director group will have a new look next year with Sam Bewley and Rene Mandri adding their unique experience and a fresh outlook so we are excited to see them join the team,” said general manager Kjell Carlström.

Rik Verbrugghe stays on as sporting manager, while Eric Van Lancker will transition to an operations role.

The team recently held pre-season meetings in Barcelona, and it’s not clear if the moves are related to the team’s recent battle for UCI points.

Israel Premier Tech is facing relegation after an illness-riddled 2022 saw the team finish outside the top 18-ranked teams during the 2020 to 2022 seasons.

Also read: IPT owner threatens legal action in UCI points battle

Bewley recently retired from a 13-year career and said he is thrilled to take on his next chapter as sports director with IPT.

“I’m really excited to start this new chapter in my cycling career and get stuck into my new role as Sports Director. After a long career as a pro, this felt like the natural next step for me and Israel-Premier Tech presented a great opportunity that will allow me to develop and also offer my experience to the team,” Bewley said.

Mandri, also a former cyclist who retired in 2013, recently worked as the manager for Team Ampler-Tartu2024.

IPT sports director group for 2023: Steve Bauer (Canada), René Andrle (Czech Republic), Sam Bewley (New Zealand), Dirk Demol (Belgium), Oscar Guerrero (Spain), Rene Mandri (Estonia), Dror Pekatch (Israel), Ruben Plaza (Spain) – Israel-Premier Tech Academy.