Rose Rockets weighs their chances in the Giro d’Italia 2026 over the coming days

The next two days are the first stages on Italian soil of this Giro d’Italia 2026, and they are normally a prize for the breakaway riders. Rose Rockets came close to victory on Sunday with Dylan Groenewegen, but usually the next two stages serve as glorified rest days for the Lion of Amsterdam. For almost all other riders, it means they can seize their chances. This is what Bas Tietema told WielerFlits.

In stage four to Cosenza and the fifth stage to Potenza, it’s likely that an early breakaway will succeed. Sprinter Groenewegen can take two recovery days. Tietema emphasizes that he does not have the team leader role in the Giro, so he only hears the tactics shortly before, but he does know that the attack is the trump card on Tuesday and Wednesday. “Lukáš Kubiš, Niklas Larsen, Hartthijs de Vries, Wout Poels, Matyáš and Tomáš Kopecký are all in very good shape and riding strong. For all of them, there are opportunities in this kind of stage, depending on how the scenario unfolds.”

Especially Tuesday’s stage is hard for Tietema to predict. “Not just for us, even in a preview, I think it’s impossible. Will we see a breakaway? Will they push hard on that climb or take it very easy? That makes a huge difference in who you see as real contenders for the stage win. I do believe that several of our riders can survive that climb and still be fast at the finish. It’s just the question whether it will succeed or not. But I think we have a few strong guys in the team for Tuesday’s finale. It is also quite twisty in the final.”

“They’re also predicting quite a bit of wind,” the team owner continues. “It will definitely be tough, but I think we can perform well. Normally, we won’t sprint with Dylan; that’s not the most realistic scenario. On the other hand, after that climb, he will ride full gas to come back, just like on the third day with that long climb in the middle section.   Then he was able to return. That is what makes it so difficult to predict for us. It can go many ways. However, I do suspect that XDS Astana will defend the pink jersey of Guillermo Silva.”

Investment in team support
However, the Rose Rockets men will not just blindly rush in. There are still eighteen stages to go, which is twice as many as the team has ever done before. With Groenewegen, Wout Poels, and Elmar Reinders, only three of the five riders are experienced in a grand tour. “This past winter we also made a huge investment in the performance team. For example, a doctor and a dietitian will accompany us for the three weeks. We are making progress. With Roger Hammond, Marcel Kittel, and all the others, the team directors also bring a nice mix of youth and experience.”

There are team directors making their grand tour debut, but also men with several grand tours to their name. “Just like in the riders’ group, actually,” Tietema points out. “Of course, it is a process of feeling things out: when do we spend our energy and when not? Where are our real, big chances now? For some guys, it is an adjustment because normally we want to get to the finish as fast as possible. Now Matyáš and Tomáš had to let go at the end of stage two so they could be ready sooner for the next day.”