Dylan Groenewegen feels the pressure at Unibet Rose Rockets: "But that's allowed, I like it"
Dylan Groenewegen is the flagship rider of Unibet Rose Rockets this year. The Dutch sprinter is expected to deliver victories for Bas Tietema’s team—perhaps even in the Tour de France. Groenewegen himself is certainly looking forward to his debut with the team: "I feel the urge to prove myself."
The past few months have been an adjustment for Groenewegen. After years riding for big WorldTour teams, the Dutchman suddenly landed this winter at the relatively small but fast-growing Unibet Rose Rockets. "It’s a different story. At Jayco and Visma, things were a bit more established; here, much bigger leaps are being made. You can see that in the doubling of staff and coaches. At the same time, the difference isn’t huge. I find it a nice challenge, it’s fun to grow along with the team."
As a sprinter with six Tour de France stage wins already under his belt, it’s natural that expectations are on him. "There is some pressure on me, but that’s fine and actually fun. I have that urge to prove myself. And the young guys here are eager to prove themselves too. It’s up to me now to show what I can do. I mainly want to be the best version of myself again. Training is looking good now; it just needs to translate into solid results."
Marcel Kittel, once a rival of Groenewegen’s, will be helping him out. "He pushes me," Groenewegen says about the German. "It’s easy for me since the line of communication with Marcel is short; we call weekly to discuss equipment or sprint sessions. He also challenges me, for example by putting someone on my wheel during sprint training."
Groenewegen already has much of his schedule set for this season. The Dutchman kicks off in just over a week at the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana, followed by the Clásica de Almería and Ster van Bessèges during the early season. Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (possibly), GP Monseré, the Ronde van Brugge, and the Scheldeprijs are the races he will contest in Belgium. Heading into summer—and the crucial Tour de France—he will compete in the Four Days of Dunkirk and the Hellas Tour.
"The program is set until then, regardless of whether we ride the Tour. If we get the opportunity, that would be the perfect cherry on top. But it’s still uncertain whether we’ll get in; all we can do is give our best, hopefully with some wins," he concludes.
