Unibet Rose Rockets add yet another World Tour rider to their ranks - French CX specialist is a top UCI point source
Cycling
The signing of Clément Venturini was long overdue in the professional cycling world. In the prime of his career, the 32-year old French rider was left without a contract for the upcoming year after the demise of Arkéa - B&B Hotels, and was surprisingly still left without one until the final days of the year. However, someone has recognized his value, and he has now signed with Unibet Rose Rockets for the 2026 season.
Venturini is a rider that has scored over 700 UCI points this year, and is a potentially key asset to any team in the battle for these points. This includes the lower-tier World Tour teams who begin now a new three-year cycle when it comes to UCI points, but specially ProTeams who eye World Tour promotion based on merit, but also guaranteed wildcards to several teams on the yearly. This is only regarding the UCI points, but in truth a lot more goes into receiving wildcards, results, exposure, etc.
And the French team has brought in another strong rider. Venturini is a talented classics rider and sprinter, racing to several strong results this year in the French calendar that made him one of Arkéa - B&B Hotels' top riders. The French team came to a close, and he found himself in a surprisingly difficult position.
"I really didn't see myself retiring in 2026, and I still don't. I still have energy, but I have to think about it... Given my physical condition and recent performances, most people around me don't understand how it could end," he said in a recent interview. "They tell me to keep believing until the very end, as long as the door isn't closed".
The tide changes
This Tuesday, Unibet Rose Rockets have announced the signing of Venturini. He had previously been linked to the team, and with its French license, it was a no-brainer. From 2027 onwards, points in cyclocross will aid in the points tally for teams on the road, making him an even more valuable rider - Venturini was fifth in the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships.
And for Unibet, it is their 26th rider. The team has underwent extreme changes, benefits of an improved budget and also a very positive image on social media. After the signing of a few riders, it seemed to have also had an impact on the negotiations more recently in the winter, with the team gaining more legitimacy and ability to sign big names.
14 signings in total, almost half of the entire team. The team's great project was Dylan Groenewegen, who comes in to lead the team in the sprints - with leadout man Elmar Reinders joining as well. Wout Poels from Astana and Victor Lafay from Decathlon also join from the World Tour; the team has signed European Championships time trial podium finisher Niklas Larsen and Hamburg Cyclassics winner Rory Townsend...
But also other talented riders such as Matyas Kopecky and Jannis Peter who each showed great results towards the end of the year; Tobias Muller, Eivind Broholt Fougner, Karsten Larsen Feldmann, Ronan Augé and Colin Savioz.
Clément Venturini climbing the Mont Ventoux at the 2025 Tour de France. @Sirotti
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
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Came for a lift, got a Rocket Ride. 🚀 😎 Get in, Clément!
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