Major role change for Bas Tietema at Rockets - Founder steps away from sporting responsibilities amid management structure changes ahead of 2027
Cycling
Unibet Rose Rockets founder Bas Tietema is set to step away from the sporting side of the team ahead of the 2027 season. Part of the growing team's founding, the former rider will focus instead on non-sporting duties as the team continue to evolve.
Since its founding in 2023, the team has risen through the ranks from Continental level to becoming a ProTeam. The 2026 season has been their most successful in their history with big name arrivals and a Giro d'Italia debut.
Tietema will now place his his focus to partnerships, working with the media and promoting the team as his responsibilities on the sporting side have diminished with the growing expertise among the staff following the arrivals such as Roger Hammond and Marcel Kittel.
Speaking about the change in duties, the Dutchman stated that's not a step backward but more an adjustment of focus as he insisted that he had not been involved heavily in the team's race plans this season.
"We need to divide responsibilities more effectively if we want to continue growing as a team. I don't see this as a step backwards, but as a step forwards," he told Wielerflits this past weekend.
Unibet Rose Rockets
Tietema's role changes as team grows bigger
"I was already barely involved in the team's race plans over the past year."
His main responsibilities will include maintaining and growing their sponsorships, managing the public-facing side of the squad such as their media relations, fan relations and commercial endeavours.
Read also
Dylan Groenewegen and Wout Poels were among the high-profile riders joining the team this season as they ramped up their efforts to compete at cycling's top table. The ambitious project's goals include rising to WorldTour level in the coming seasons and growing their influence among cycling fans.
The team have taken ten victories in the 2026 season, including a World Tour one-day win with Groenewegen's Tour of Bruges triumph in spring.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment