Architect of Biniam Girmay's success story joins Marcel Kittel at Unibet Rose Rockets from 2027 onwards
Cycling
Aike Visbeek may have never broken through as a cyclist, but his career at staff level has more than made up for that dream. After over a decade working behind the scenes at Team Sunweb, Intermarché-Wanty and most recently Lotto-Intermarché, the Dutch tactician will bring his know-how to Unibet Rose Rockets in 2027.
Visbeek has a great reputation of brining success wherever he goes. He was part of Sunweb's golden era in past decade and, upon joining Intermarché, he stood behind the rise of Biniam Girmay and the entire team in 2022.
However his stay at the team was brought to an early end after the Lotto-Intermarché merger. Visbeek as a key staff member continued with the project, but only until for six months before the two parties parted ways at the end of June.
Therefore, the Dutchman had freedom to search for a new project which he could help develop to a new level in coming years. And he found just that with the rising Rockets - 4th ProTeam in the 2026 UCI teams ranking.
"Aike has an impressive track record of developing teams and improving performance at the highest level. His knowledge, strategic insight and experience will be extremely valuable as we continue to strengthen our performance," Chief Sports Officer at Rockets, Eelco Meenhorst, appreciated Visbeek's qualities in a press statement.
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New adventure alongside Marcel Kittel
For Visbeek, joining Rockets brings a new challenge. At the French team, he'll find a strong Dutch link as well as several high-profile figures. Most interesting will be to follow the dynamics at performance staff where he'll work together with sprint coach Marcel Kittel - his former colleague from past Sunweb iterations between 2013-2015 - among others.
"What attracted me to the Rockets is that this is a team that is still building and has a clear ambition to keep moving forward. I have been fortunate to work on similar projects before, where you really have the opportunity to develop something together," Aike Visbeek said.

Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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