"In cycling, first you build respect, then you enjoy it" - Lukas Kubis and the evolution of Unibet Rose Rockets

The Unibet Rose Rockets team is growing substantially into this upcoming season but it can't be forgotten that 2025 was the year of Lukas Kubis. Coming from a country with little tradition in pro cycling, the Slovakian rider was the French team's most important rider this season, and he's talked about how other teams look at Bas Tietema's team with different eyes now.

“I think for a rider from Eastern Europe, it’s sometimes harder to get into the WorldTour because the sport is less popular over there,” Kubis said in an interview with Domestique. His uprising through the world of cycling was also unusual, with a lot of racing in Africa where he started obtaining some of his first results.

“I spent five years in the Dukla Banska Bystrica continental team, and it was more like enjoying life, enjoying cycling. I did so many races in Africa, and if there is no cycling, I'm not sure I'd have gone there… but because of cycling, I went, and I’m really grateful for all these experiences because I saw a lot of the world, and it was a really nice experience".

However he was enjoying the bike and had the potential to truly raise the bar. When he moved on to a more professional structure in the form of the Czech Elkov - Kasper team in 2024, he made significant improvements with an overhaul of his training program.

“But that year, when I joined Elkov, it became more like professional cycling, or at least on a higher level [...] When I joined Elkov, I was really happy with my former coach, because he made the difference... He made me go from an average rider to a rider who could win races in only three, four months". 

As a continental rider, at age 24, the results he showed throughout the year were quite impressive. No World Tour team made a big for him, and this year he was signed by Unibet Rose Rockets, who recognized his potential. Currently, he is signed into 2027, and although the team has gained many new leaders, he will continue to be one himself.

Top10 at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, Le Samyn and Nokere Koerse make a pretty clear argument as to where he specializes in. "If I have to put myself into a box, I’m a classics rider. I love races when it's really hard, and the weather is difficult. I love it because I’m not that guy who complains when it is raining, I don’t mind it".

He's performed well all-year long including fourth place at the Tour of Denmark and Muur Classic Geraardsbergen; a sixth spot at the Tour of Slovkaia where he gathered four second places behind Paul Magnier; Top5 results at Paris-Chauny and Sparkassen Münsterland Giro; and lastly a second place overall at the Tour of Holland where only Visma's Christophe Laporte had the best of him.

"But still, after the hard races, I can still push nice numbers, so that’s the difference I think, like when it’s really hard, and the pure sprinters can’t hold the pace all day for that long, and I still can, so then at the end of the race, it is easier for me.”

The French team has made huge moves this winter signing Dylan Groenewegen as a new head sprinter; climbers such as Wout Poels and Jannis Peter; Frenchmen Victor Lafay and Clément Venturini who can boost the team's chances of taking part in the Tour de France; and other quality riders such as Niklas Larsen (podium at the time trial European Championships with Evenepoel and Ganna), Rory Townsend (Hamburg Cyclassics winner) and Matyas Kopecky.

It is a completely different team who can aim for a lot more, and continue the evolution it's shown throughout this past season. “At the beginning of the year, it was bad, we had zero respect. But race by race, with the results and the way we raced, they realized we’re not just a small team, we want the biggest results," he tells. "The respect grew higher and higher. In cycling, first you build respect, then you enjoy it.”