"It's a really crazy transfer": Thijs Zonneveld impressed by another high-profile signing for Unibet Rose Rockets

Dylan Groenewegen, Wout Poels, and most recently Victor Lafay. Unibet Rose Rockets have made some serious moves this off-season with the aim to be at the start of the 2026 Tour de France. And with three former Tour stage winners among their ranks, that scenario is very well realistic all of a sudden. For Victor Lafay, this contract could go many ways; either it re-launches his career, or we will see Lafay selling camembert in Shibuya in a year from now...

"He actually wanted to quit cycling and become a cheesemonger," Thijs Zonneveld reminds about Lafay on the podcast In De Waaier. "He's a bit of an atypical guy: very good, but plagued by injuries and things like that in recent years. He won a Giro stage at a young age and won a fantastic Tour stage for Cofidis."

Zonneveld believes the Frenchman can still return to the level that earned him a big contract at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale three years ago. "He's simply a guy who can ride top 10 in Flèche Wallonne and has a pretty alternative style of racing. He sometimes attacks when you think he'd be better off staying put," the Dutchman explains.

Meanwhile, Lafay was quite close to quitting cycling altogether. "He rejected all the offers from WorldTour teams. In the end, he signed with Unibet Rose Rockets. The fact that you can sign a guy like that... To maximize their chances of winning the Tour [wild card], it's incredibly smart to simply sign a really good French rider. That's a smart move strategically, and it's also a good move from a sporting perspective. I think it's a really crazy transfer," Zonneveld concludes.

For 2026, the Unibet Rose Rockets will have changed more than just a name. The team has already announced the arrival of eight new names, and more are likely still in the pipeline. Among the most striking ones are the arrival of Groenewegen, Poels and Lafay, but every single newcomer is expected to play a significant role for the French team.

The owner of BEAT Cycling also sees a trend at Tietema's team. "I think they were already doing quite well at Unibet Rose Rockets. There have been more money-ball -like transfers in recent years, so guys who are really interesting in terms of assets and results, but who just fell outside the standard scouting process. Those were the riders they were mainly pursuing."

Zonneveld cites examples. "They had Matyas Kopecky and Niklas Larsen, for example, two guys who... especially Larsen, who was very impressive last year. They actually already had him before he rode a really good European Road Championship. What they've done this year is actually a step up."

While Kopecky and Larsen are both excellent pick ups from lower cycling levels and somewhat typical recruitments for Unibet Rockets, it's the other signings that are really impressive to Zonneveld.

"Namely, they're signing riders for whom they have to pay a lot of money," the Dutchman points out that the French-Dutch team is clearly well off financially. "These aren't all small salaries for riders they give the opportunity and who think: I'm very happy to ride for a second-division team and I'm happy to negotiate for the last 2,000 euros just for appearance's sake."

Because Zonneveld knows: "If you bring in Groenewegen, Reinders, and Poels, that's already a completely different story. Rory Townsend is another story. Those are riders from bigger teams who are switching. Groenewegen and Poels won't be riding for a small salary. They're guys who have won stages in Grand Tours."

Those are riders Unibet lacked so far to really compete for victories in the big races. Suddenly the team's perception will be much more serious. "They immediately improve your team, if they're still motivated," says the Dutchman, who notes the age of his new signings. "They're certainly older, especially Poels, but he also won the Tour of Turkiye this year. So I don't doubt their motivation," Zonneveld concludes.