"We want to fight for stage wins": Unibet Rockets shoot for a Tour de France debut backed by a new sponsor
Cycling
Unibet Tietema Rockets are no longer just a team that is a byproduct of Tour de Tietema YouTube channel. 26th on the 2025 UCI ranking, the Dutch team with French license can now be rightfully referred to as a full-pledged ProTeam. And as such, they can seriously aspire for a Tour de France wildcard. After all, participation at Grande Boucle was one of the big goals when the team was funded in 2023...
But all of that will happen under a new name Unibet Rose Rockets. While Rockets are just, well, rockets, Rose has not much to do with the red flower. The French team instead welcomes German bike manufacturer Rose as a co-sponsor next to Unibet for years to come. With this, the era of Tietema ends, although Bas Tietema is not leaving the team.
"We see a lot of similarities between the Rockets and Rose. As Rose is still family owned, passion and entrepreneurship are characteristics that identify both our companies. With innovative business models, we both hope to be disruptors in our respective industries," wrote Josse Wester on team's Substack about this deal.
"We always knew that there would be a day when Tietema left the team name. That was one of the many reasons we branded ourselves as Rockets going into the 2025 season," said Bas Tietema of the name change. "To speak openly, to grow as a team we also need financial backing, and that is something that removing my name from the title sponsorship allows us to increase."
The dream of Tour
For 2026, the three mandatory wild cards will go to Cofidis, Tudor Pro Cycling and Q36.5 Pro Cycling and it's unimaginable that either of these team will pass up on the opportunity to be present at the biggest race of the season. In addition, TotalEnergies are also more or less certain to ride the Grande Boucle as the best remaining French ProTeam. However the battle for fifth spot is relatively open and Unibet Rockets can aspire to complete the roster of teams.
"There’s no clear date for when the Rockets will line up in the Tour de France. What we can promise: we’ll be ready the moment the chance comes," the team said in a Substack post this summer as they focused on scoring points.
"By ready, we don’t just mean riding along. We mean ready to fight for stage wins. Because being there is cool, but being there to win is even better."
That statement is supported by the ambitious signing of top sprinter Dylan Groenewegen whose name should weigh in favor of the young team. Rumours also mention the possible arrival of another seasoned Dutch professional Wout Poels with whom the team could aspire to compete on all terrains. If you add the European Championships ITT bronze medallist Niklas Larsen and all-rounders Lukáš Kubiš or another new recruit Matyáš Kopecký could aim very high next summer.
But the first step would be to convince Tour organizer ASO that Unibet Rockets deserve a spot at the biggest cycling scene.
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 7visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- 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
Loading
1 Comments