"We didn't fight our way through all those mountains just to go for second" - Groenewegen and Unibet Rose Rockets eye Giro d'Italia glory
Cycling
Dylan Groenewegen and Unibet Tietema Rockets have successfully made their way to Rome and are on the brink of finishing their first grand tour. But leader Dylan Groenewegen isn't interested in making up the numbers and wants to make his mountain suffering worth it with a stage victory on Sunday.
Third place in stage 3 and a sixth place finish in stage 15 are the highlights for the Dutch sprinter so far, and while Woet Poels picked up three top ten finishes in the mountains, the Rockets came to the Corsa Rosa with victory for Groenewegen in mind.
The 32-year-old joined the upcoming French team as a statement signing over winter and brings a wealth of experience to the growing ranks. He has six Tour de France stage wins and a stunning 81 wins, already claiming four wins this season. However, his search for a Giro d'Italia stage wins goes on.
Far behind the pomp of Jonas Vingegaard in his record-breaking win on stage 20, Groenewegen and his teammates crossed the line some 42:49 minutes behind as part of the final group on the road. And as he and other sprinters suffer through the mountain terrain, Groenewegen finds motivation to get through the pain.
Groenewegen determined for Rome sprint
"The past few days have been tough, but it was a great motivation for myself and my teammates that there is a sprint chance tomorrow on the final day of the Giro d’Italia," Groenewegen said on X.
Groenewegen and team coach Marcel Kittel have studied the Rome circuit finish that includes eight laps of the city circuit, insisting he and his teammates have one goal in mind.
He added: "I have already watched the finish several times together with Marcel Kittel. As a team, we didn't fight our way through all those mountains just to go for second or third place tomorrow."
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
- Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- 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
Loading
Write a comment