Former hostage Calderon accompanies Israeli cycling team at Tour de France in Paris

Former Israeli hostage Ofer Calderon spent 484 long days in Hamas captivity in Gaza before being released this past January. On Sunday, Calderon – an avid cyclist – accompanied the Israel Premier Tech pro-cycling team at the prestigious Tour de France competition. His journey from the dark Gaza tunnels to the upbeat biking experience along the famous Champs-Élysées in Paris stands as a powerful testament to human resilience against all odds.

“While I was in captivity, I imagined myself riding. I knew those trails by heart. I could see them,” Calderon said in the lobby of a luxurious hotel in Paris. Hailing from a rural Israeli community near the Gaza border, he admitted that he had never visited the city before.

“I’m a kibbutznik,” he explained. “I’ve traveled a bit in Europe, but never to France,.”

The co-owners of Israel Premier Tech , Sylvan Adams and Ronny Braun, invited Calderon to the prestigious biking competition.

“When Ofer was still in Gaza, we felt he was part of our cycling family,” Adams explained, referring to Calderon’s passion for cycling.

“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,” he added.

“I started getting emotional near the Arc de Triomphe,” Calderon revealed. “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.”

Calderon said he hopes to raise greater awareness for the hostages through his passion for cycling.

“I haven’t fully entered the public fight yet – it’s still hard. But I do what I can, mostly through sport.”
He views biking as a symbol for freedom and hope.

“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,” Calderon said.

In February, Israeli cycling star Mikhail Yakovlev honored Calderon by dedicating his silver medal to the former hostage at the World Jewish Sports Museum in Kfar Maccabiah near Tel Aviv.

"I want to dedicate this medal to Ofer Calderon, a cyclist who was held captive by Hamas and has finally returned home. I hope we can all ride together soon," Yakovlev said.

Dafna Lang, chair of the Israeli Cycling Federation, explained at the time the emotional rollercoaster experience when Calderon was kidnapped and eventually released after a long and difficult captivity in Gaza.

“When Ofer was kidnapped, it felt like the ground was pulled from under us. We barely rode for six months, focusing instead on keeping his memory alive. Seeing him again felt like our hearts began beating again," Lang shared.

While Calderon has been embraced by much of Israeli society, he has expressed deep frustration over what he sees as government indifference toward the hostages and their families.

"I feel betrayed by my country. I am an excellent citizen, and I gave my all. I don't understand it," Calderon stated earlier this month in an interview with N12 News.

"The body has a death instinct. You are physically alive, but you feel dead."