Axel Huens is set to leave Unibet Rose Rockets. The 24-year-old Frenchman made his professional debut last year for the French team with Dutch roots. The team was keen to continue with the strong all-rounder, but he couldn’t ignore interest from several WorldTeams. Ultimately, he chose Groupama-FDJ, according to WielerFlits.
In 2023, the Frenchman was part of the strong first group that emerged from Intermarché-Wanty’s newly established development team. Remarkably, Huens had only raced at the club level before that year. But strong performances and solid results across a wide range of races convinced Bas Tietema, Josse Wester, and Devin van der Wiel. They brought Huens on board for their inaugural ProTeam year, which also marked his first professional contract.
In his first year, he frequently joined breakaways, showcasing his abilities. He also recorded several notable results, including seventh in the Famenne Ardennes Classic, sixth in the Kreiz Breizh Elites, and fifth in the Coppa Sabatini. Over the past season, the young French rider took further steps in his development. He increasingly found himself in race finales, but it wasn’t until the final weeks of the season that a series of top 10 finishes materialized.
It had already been announced that Unibet Rose Rockets will say goodbye to eight riders at the end of this season. Davide Bomboi, Martijn Budding, Baptiste Huyet, Kevin Inkelaar, Zeb Kyffin, Sebastian Nielsen, Charles Paige, and Andreas Stokbro were thanked for their services. Regarding Huens, Odd Christian Eiking, and Owen Geleijn, the team made no announcement, despite their contracts also expiring. On Wednesday morning, it was announced that the Dutchman would remain on board for at least another year. Giovanni Carboni is also contracted for 2026, but he is currently suspended due to a doping violation.
Multiple teams interested
That Huens is increasingly finishing toward the front of race results caught the attention of several WorldTeams. The Frenchman quickly informed his current team that he would reject their offer. Huens prefers a contract with the WorldTeam Groupama-FDJ. A bitter pill for him is that Unibet Rose Rockets' chances of receiving a Tour de France wildcard have risen sharply in recent weeks. As a Frenchman with his qualities, Huens would have been a strong candidate to secure a potential Tour selection with The Rockets.
At Groupama-FDJ, time trial specialist Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling) and classics talent Lewis Askey (Israel-Premier Tech) are departing. In their place come – alongside Huens – Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Clément Berthet, and Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Matteo Milan – the younger brother of top sprinter Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) – is joining Marc Madiot’s team. Finally, the biggest (French) talent Maxim Decomble is being promoted from their own development squad to the WorldTeam.
Axel Huens| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 |
