On Sunday evening, Ofer Calderon stood closer than ever to cycling’s most prestigious race stage. Clutching a VIP pass to the Tour de France, he watched the final leg of the race in Paris, choosing between champagne and gourmet cuisine—an almost surreal contrast to the 484 days he spent in Hamas captivity, far from the open skies and winding trails he once rode with his Smurfs cycling team in the Negev.
“Yes,” he says in the lobby of a luxury Paris hotel, worlds removed from the darkness of a Gaza tunnel. “While I was in captivity, I imagined myself riding. I knew those trails by heart. I could see them.”
Calderon, 54, was released on February 1, 2025, after spending nearly a year and a half in captivity. Now, he’s seeing Paris for the first time. “I’m a kibbutznik,” he says with a soft smile. “I’ve traveled a bit in Europe, but never to France.”
His journey to Paris was made possible by Israel Premier Tech owners Sylvan Adams and Ronny Braun, who invited Calderon both to offer healing and to raise awareness in the ongoing struggle to bring home the remaining hostages.
“When Ofer was still in Gaza, we felt he was part of our cycling family,” Adams says. “I said then, publicly, that when he returned, we’d bring him to the Tour. When he was freed, I called and told him personally: ‘It’s official.’ This moment is emotional—but we won’t celebrate until they’re all back.”
Ofer at the Tour de France
(Video: Israel Premier Tech)
On Sunday morning, before the race began, Adams and Braun gave Calderon the chance to cycle along the famed Champs-Élysées in full Israel Premier Tech gear.
“I started getting emotional near the Arc de Triomphe,” Calderon says. “It’s overwhelming—so immense. But my emotions are complicated. People I was with are still there. Until they’re free, nothing feels whole. These feelings keep colliding inside me.”
His presence at the Tour is both personal and symbolic. “I haven’t fully entered the public fight yet—it’s still hard. But I do what I can, mostly through sport.”
And now, for the first time in a long time, he can truly ride again—not just dream it. “It gives me so much. So much air. So much hope. Freedom. One of the hardest parts of captivity was losing freedom. Every choice was taken from me. But now? There’s light. Space. Nature.”
On Saturday, Calderon joined the Israeli team for a ride through Paris’ network of bike paths. Behind his sunglasses, though, lingered the weight of memory—friends still in captivity, the trauma of what he endured, and the small electric motor on his bike. Since his release, he’s relied on the motor at times, even taking it abroad. But he still prefers off-road rides powered by his own legs.
He was joined by his partner, Sharon, and his close friend Shay from the Smurfs. Judging by the number of hugs and kisses exchanged, Shay may have won the affection race. “I love him so much,” Shay says. “We fought with everything to bring him home.”
Despite the hell Calderon endured, he still carries himself like an athlete. His cycling kit fits like second skin; speeches less so. But the spark in his eyes remains, along with a wry smile and a readiness to joke—even about those long days in Gaza’s tunnels.
Over lunch with the team, he shared details beyond his emotional television appearance: how Hamas marched him for dozens of miles underground, through endless splits and corridors; how death, at times, seemed like a welcome release—until his stubborn optimism pulled him back. He lost 55 lbs. Sometimes, he avoided using the makeshift bathrooms for days. “I was a stallion before. I did sports, yoga, everything. And suddenly, there was nothing left.”
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He avoids the news now, especially amid rising hostility toward Israel. “I try not to follow the media. But I know what’s out there. It’s not new—it’s just louder now.”
Adams, however, remains vocal and committed. “Let me tell you something,” he says. “I ride the Tour’s routes every morning before the racers. When people see ‘Israel’ on my jersey, they cheer—‘Allez, Israel!’ Not a single negative word. That’s why I believe the silent majority is with us. The haters are loud, but they’re few. It’s antisemitism, plain and simple.”
He adds: “I fund this team for one reason—and it’s not cheap—to support Israel.”
Israel Premier Tech may carry the nation’s name, but no Israeli cyclist is competing this year. “Tour de France is the toughest race in the world,” Adams explains. “Every rider on our team earned their spot. This year, no Israeli made the cut. But let me say this: next year, there will be one. That’s a promise.”