Daryl Impey will join Israel Start-Up Nation in 2021
Israel Start-Up Nation continues to bolster its roster for 2021, announcing on Wednesday that veteran racer Daryl Impey will join the team next season on a two-year deal.
The 35-year-old South African, who counts two overall wins at the Tour Down Under, a Tour de France stage victory, and numerous South African national road and time trial titles on his lengthy career palmares, has been a part of the Mitchelton-Scott organization going all the way back to 2012.
“I decided to make a fresh start,” Impey said via an ISN press release. “I feel like I need to step out of the comfort zone of Mitchelton-Scott. I had great success with the team, formed many strong friendships, and made amazing memories. I can’t thank them enough for getting me this far in my career.”
Impey’s new team noted that Chris Froome, who will join ISN next year, reached out to convince Impey to join him in the new endeavor.
“It’s not often you get to race with one of the greats in our sport, so when Chris called me and said he trusts me and would like to have me by his side I appreciated that and knew he meant it,” Impey said. “I have known him a long time and our careers have nearly come full circle – we started out together at Barloworld and we are continuing at ISN. I know he can win another Tour de France, and it will be great to not only be part of that team, but to play an important role.”
As explained in the team’s statement announcing the news, ISN is planning to look to Impey as a road captain in some races while giving him the opportunity to hunt for his own results in others.
“Daryl Impey is a strong rider, who has won big races, twice conquering the Tour Down Under,” ISN co-owner Sylvan Adams said. “We also expect that given Daryl’s experience, he could be our Tour de France road captain. He started his career riding with his friend Chris Froome on Barloworld, so we are hoping that Daryl will be a trusted ally for Chris, as we race to make history together at the Tour.”
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