“Together we unite the world through cycling”
Dr. Kevin Ham, founder and CEO of Reinvent and Chit Chats Canada, will stay with Israel Start-Up Nation in 2021. An avid cyclist himself, he says that the team’s vision is ‘epic’, and he is excited to continue the adventure with the team.
“It is a thrill to be part of Israel Start-Up Nation’s adventure, especially together with Paulo (Saldanha), Sylvan (Adams) and Ron (Baron). We all share a love for the sport of cycling, and we have only become more excited about this project because of the 2020 season.”
Medical Aid Rides
Israel Start-Up Nation’s Alexis Renard remembers the Medical Aid Rides that Israel Start-Up Nation organized during the first COVID-19 lockdown. “That was such a difficult period of time for everyone. In our case, the ISN-riders, we were suddenly left empty-handed without a racing program and something to look forward to.”
Israel Start-Up Nation was, with Dr. Kevin Ham’s help, able to ship over 12,000 face masks to hospitals in need during the first wave of COVID-19 – mainly in the United States of America and Ham’s home country of Canada. In total, ISN organized six Medical Aid Rides for a good cause, gathering thousands of fans virtually on a virtual cycling platform.
The ISN community
“I was inspired when the team started organizing Medical Aid Rides,” Renard continues, “as they brought us riders together, and also involved the fans in a unique way. Most importantly, we were able – thanks to Dr. Ham – to ride for Medical KN95-masks, which, at the time, were very spare. Riding, together with Kevin himself, my teammates and fans, was the most inspiring thing I did during those months in lockdown.”
Technical director Kjell Carlström gives all the credit to Dr. Ham for his ‘amazing idea’ during a ‘difficult period of time’. “That was a great idea,” Carlström admits. “It gave our riders something to look forward to, brought them together even while distanced and we showed that we are a team with a broader vision than just cycling.”
Dr. Ham: “We started the first virtual ride to send a ‘stay at home’ message to all, but then we moved it further and highlighted the need to help the medical ‘troops’ in the COVID-war front line. The support from ISN-fans was amazing and we delivered so many masks to hospitals in need. To me, that was the ultimate example of how tight the ISN-community is and how much they care about the team and their environment.”
‘The team successes are inspiring’
Ham recaps Dan Martin’s performance in La Vuelta a España, the last race of last season. “The team rode so well”, the CEO of Reinvent says. “Dan put every ounce he had to the very end, placing fourth overall. That was super inspiring to see.”
Also, Alex Dowsett’s victory in the Giro d’Italia was a major highlight for the CEO of Chit Chats Canada. “That was touching.”
‘Developing the project together’
Co-owner Sylvan Adams is happy having Dr. Ham on board as well. “We have been building this project together, and we will keep developing this project together in the 2021 season. Dr. Ham is an essential addition to the team, and I am therefore obviously very happy that he will be with us in 2021.
Dr. Ham himself cannot wait until the season starts. “I am so happy for the team,” he says. “They have hearts of champions. I look forward to next season, as Chris Froome and Michael Woods join the team. The arrival of them will make the Canadian and the Israeli riders even stronger than they already are.”
About Dr. Kevin Ham from Reinvent:
Born and raised in Canada, Dr. Ham has a dream of combining his passion for cycling with health, preventing and curing our most prevalent diseases: cancer and heart disease.
Dr. Ham has a Medical Degree from the University of British Columbia, a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and graduated from the Advance Management Program at Harvard Business School. He was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008.
Dr. Ham is the Founder and CEO of Reinvent, Inc and the CEO of ChitChats.com. He enjoys seeking wisdom, writing poetry and books, cycling up mountains and reinventing.
