"We scored twice as many points as last year" - Unibet Rose Rockets make themselves an undeniable Tour de France wildcard option by ASO's definition
Cycling
The Unibet Rose Rockets are on the verge of a first-ever Tour de France participation in 2027, providing ASO continue to base their decision for wildcards on UCI points and ranking, as they did for the 2026 Tour.
Bas Tietema's Rockets were among the contenders for a 2026 call to La Grand Boucle before ASO preferred Spanish team Caja Rural for the race, pointing to their higher placing in the uCI rankings at the time. Now, the Rockets have doubled their UCI points haul this season as they continue to grow.
Their improved roster, aggressive racing style and Giro d'Italia participation have seen them over 7,000 UCI points in 2026, significantly more than Caja Rural's haul of less than 5,000 last season.
The Rockets sit 22nd in the team rankings and are the fifth-best ProTeam. With the three highest-ranked ProTeams attaining an automatic Grand Tour place, Pinarello Q36.5, Tudor Pro Cycling and Cofidis are assured a place. Other wildcard choices mean that only TotalEnergies are ahead of the Rockets in the UCI ranking pecking order.
Unibet Rose Rockets
Rockets make themselves a major Tour wildcard contender
"We worked incredibly hard this year to collect as many points as possible and get as close as possible to the WorldTour teams and the best ProTeams. We scored twice as many points as last year, claimed more victories, and showed ourselves at a WorldTour level," Tietema told Sporza after the 2027 Tour de France route presentation.
Their placing in the rankings make them an undeniable choice for the 2027 Tour if picked by UCI points alone. However, while Caja Rural were preferred this season, fellow Spanish team Burgos Burpellet BH signed three French riders in Mathieu Burgaudeau, Kevin Vercher, and Thomas Bonnet as they appear to be attempting to entice a call-up - despite earning almost 3000 points less this season.
He added: "It is of course difficult to compare teams. Because everyone has their own arguments for going to the Tour. We just focus on our own thing and try to be the best team possible."
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"That is our first priority"
For Tietema, the Tour would represent a huge mark of progress for the team after their 2023 debut off the back of a Youtube and social media frenzy. With Dylan Groenewegen and Wout Poels in their ranks in 2026, the team have challenged in some of cycling's biggest races.
"Our focus has been a bit more on the classics and sprints in recent years. Wout Poels has obviously shown some great things in the high mountains," Tietema told Wielerflits before the course presentation.
"For us, however, it is first about participating, before we can start looking at the stages. That is our first priority. We do not have automatic participation, so it is not at all certain yet whether we will be allowed to participate."
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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