Elite sprinter on the move? - Movistar table bid for Dylan Groenewegen to put an end to their UCI points woes
CyclingWednesday, 08 July 2026 at 14:15
Dylan Groenewegen has become one of the hottest names on the transfer market after a start to the season that has put him back among the peloton’s elite sprinters. The Dutch rider has attracted interest from several WorldTour teams, and Movistar is one of the strongest suitors.
The Spanish outfit has already tabled a major offer for the sprinter in the cycling market, according to Wielerflits.
The future of Groenewegen at Unibet Rose Rockets does not appear fully assured despite an active contract. Interest from several top-tier squads and the rider’s own desire to race the Tour de France again could open the door to a team change before his current deal expires.
The Amsterdam sprinter was one of March’s standout performers, taking four victories, including Ronde van Brugge and the Bredene Koksijde Classic. His form confirmed that, despite the passing years, he remains capable of fighting the best specialists in the peloton and is an elite sprinter.
He also impressed at the Giro d’Italia, where he came very close to delivering a historic win for Unibet Rose Rockets - their first grand tour win. The stage finishing in Napoli was especially painful for the Dutchman, as he was perfectly placed to contest the victory when he crashed in the final corner. Even so, his performance at the Italian race underlined that his speed is intact.
Dylan Groenewegen, targeted by Movistar Team
The hurdle for Movistar Team
At 33, Groenewegen’s major goal is to return to the Tour de France, a race where he already knows how to win. The Dutchman has six stage victories at the French Grand Tour and is seeking another opportunity in the calendar’s most important race.
However, Unibet Rose Rockets’ presence at the 2027 Tour will depend on whether the team receives an invitation to participate following their omission from this year's Tour in favour of Caja Rural.
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The main obstacle to a potential move is that Groenewegen is under contract with Bas Tietema’s team through 2027. Nevertheless, in modern cycling, transfers involving riders with active contracts are increasingly common. A switch to a WorldTour squad would require a three-way agreement between the rider, Unibet Rose Rockets, and the interested new team.
Movistar now appears as one of the leading candidates to secure his services. The Spanish structure is looking to bolster its sprinting edge, and Groenewegen could bring experience and reliability in bunch finishes at Grand Tours and classics, scooping up valuable UCI points in the process.
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.
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- Hope this fiasco doesn't backfire on Pogacar and the UAE Team.
PogiFan2Day08-07-2026 - That happens in 'democracies' all over the world.Hills3308-07-2026
- My point standsbruins3008-07-2026
- Not a lot of people know that.Cyclingsbestfan08-07-2026
- What a great stage to watch. Always good to see the breakaway win.
Andrew08-07-2026 - Would normally agree with you but after all of the protests at the tour last year i realised that the two are hard to separate.Andrew08-07-2026
- Just because Trump is being a wally doesn’t mean that the USA is not a democracy does it? Uae on the other hand …. Saudi Arabia is supporting the war against the Houthi Shias in Yemen both financially and militarily, a war in which over 250,000 Yemenis have died and which many organisations class as a genocide. Bahrain continues its persecution of its Shia minority which falls under the UN definition of genocide as "the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group" (genocide doesn't, contrary to popular understanding, solely refer to physically killing a group of people, it can also refer to attempts to abolish a people by circumscribing their language, religion, culture etc). UAE has been accused, with good evidence, of funding the RSF in Sudan, a group which has committed massacres and numerous war crimes against the Masalit people of West Darfur, classed by many organisations as a genocide (130,000+ dead).Andrew08-07-2026
- How can they vote if it isn’t a democracy?Andrew08-07-2026
- i understand why he is angry but then they are expert commentators not journalists, they comment on existing issues based on what they have experienced not journalism. His performance is fact and they are commenting on that factabstractengineer08-07-2026
- LOL ! There it is. Lots of money paid to a guy who can't even win stages in the past year or two ! The heck with GC ambitions which is what Jayco brought him to the team for.frieders308-07-2026
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