Left out of the Tour de France, Unibet ROSE Rockets invited to two of cycling’s biggest one day races

ASO’s wildcard decision for the 2026 Tour de France left Unibet ROSE Rockets on the outside looking in. Days later, a different organiser has delivered a very different verdict on the team’s appeal.

RCS Sport, the company behind Strade Bianche, Milano-Sanremo and Tirreno-Adriatico, has confirmed its ProTeam invitations for March. Unibet ROSE Rockets have been awarded wildcards to Strade Bianche on 7 March and Milano-Sanremo on 21 March, but are not included in the Tirreno-Adriatico lineup.

That split is what makes the story notable. One organiser has judged Unibet not suitable for the Tour de France startlist.

Another has decided the team belongs at two of the sport’s most prestigious one-day races.

Strade Bianche is not a minor calendar filler. The gravel race into Siena has become one of the most visually iconic and tactically demanding one-day events in modern cycling. Invitations here are typically reserved for teams expected to animate the race rather than simply complete it.

RCS have included Unibet alongside the automatic invitees and a small selection of ProTeams, signalling clear confidence that the French licensed squad can contribute to the spectacle on the white roads of Tuscany.

Even more telling is the Milano-Sanremo decision. The first Monument of the season is one of the hardest races to gain entry to as a ProTeam. RCS have again opted to include Unibet ROSE Rockets in a tightly controlled field for the 300-kilometre classic.

For a team built around proven finishers and aggressive racers, this is precisely the kind of stage their winter recruitment was designed for. RCS’s call suggests they see Unibet as a team capable of shaping the race on the Cipressa, the Poggio, or the Via Roma sprint.'

Unibet’s absence from Tirreno Adriatico adds balance to the picture. This is not blanket access to RCS events. It is selective, targeted inclusion in races where the organiser believes the team adds sporting value.

That nuance is important. It shows a considered selection rather than a token invitation.

The contrast with the Tour de France situation is difficult to ignore. While ASO opted against inviting Unibet for July, RCS have effectively handed them two of the most prestigious opportunities available to a ProTeam in March.

Without saying a word about the Tour decision, RCS’s choices underline a simple point. Other organisers clearly view Unibet ROSE Rockets as a team that belongs on the biggest stages of the sport when the racing demands aggression, depth and star quality.

In the space of a few days, Unibet have gone from being excluded from the world’s biggest race to being welcomed into two of cycling’s most historic one-day events.