Liege-Bastogne-Liege organizers put forward Spanish ProTeams over Unibet Rose Rockets with former winnner Wout Poels

The new 2026–2028 triennium could not have started more promisingly for Caja Rural - Seguros RGA. Even before the season began, the transfer market delivered major moves such as the renewal of Abel Balderstone and the signing of Fernando Gaviria. Now, in the opening weeks of the campaign, comes confirmation of their invitation to debut at two of the UCI’s great classics.

Caja Rural - Seguros RGA has received a significant boost. The Navarrese team has been invited to two of the most prestigious dates on the international calendar, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and La Flèche Wallonne 2026, a resounding endorsement of the team’s work and ambition for the new season.

The confirmation arrived on Wednesday from the organisers of the Ardennes Classics, who have included the green squad in La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, two of the world’s standout one-day races (the latter a Monument) that mark a qualitative leap in the team’s calendar. A double invitation that is not only a source of pride, but also a unique opportunity to test themselves against the elite of the international peloton.

Further wildcards go to Burgos Burpellet BH, Equipo Kern Pharma, and TotalEnergies. Three other ProTeams – Cofidis, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling, and Tudor Pro Cycling – have all secured their invitations through 2025 performances which landed them at the top three spots of ProTeam ranking. And obviously none of the teams is going to pass up on the opportunity to ride Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Thus, while the Spanish teams can celebrate, Unibet Rose Rockets have been left out. That includes the 2016 'La Doyenne' champion Wout Poels who won't add his 12th start at the Belgian Monument.

The French-Dutch team has made some interesting moves on the transfer market ahead of this season, bringing Dylan Groenewegen as a stand-out name, but also the likes of Wout Poels and Victor Lafay for hilly parcours. Thanks to their reputation, they have hoped to earn their invitation for many top races, but the organizers were clearly not convinced by this effort.

Bas Tietema's team can therefore throw even more focus towards a Tour de France preparations. Even though their participation was not yet officially confirmed at this point, it's widely believed that Rockets should not miss out on this year's Grande Boucle.