A wildcard for the 2026 Tour de France is closer than ever for Unibet Rose Rockets. The team has set itself the goal of being ready next season for participation in a Grand Tour, both from a sporting and organizational perspective. We can’t judge the latter, but in the WielerFlits Podcast, reporters Maxim Horssels and Youri IJnsen already made a preliminary selection for the Tour.
Unibet Rose Rockets has been quite active in the transfer market. The French ProTeam currently has 27 riders for 2026, including no less than twelve new faces. Up to two more riders may still join. Bas Tietema said last week in an interview with WielerFlits that his team ideally wants to have between 26 and 29 riders next year. So in principle there are two spots left, but the team management is not yet certain they will fill those places. Since the squad has a strong chance of receiving a wildcard for the Tour de France, we decided in the WielerFlits podcast to outline a possible roster.
Horssels immediately suggests Dylan Groenewegen and Elmar Reinders. Then he asks IJnsen if Hartthijs de Vries could also qualify. “He’s of course a rider who has been there since the first year in 2023. To me, he’s definitely a contender. I expect Unibet Rose Rockets to bring along someone who has been part of the story from the start. Those are Joren Bloem, Tomáš Kopecký, Abram Stockman, and Hartthijs de Vries. One of their storylines will be that they declared at the founding in 2023 that they would ride the Tour in 2026, and one of those same riders is now there. Hartthijs is someone who qualifies for me.”
“Let’s include him,” Horssels chimes in. “That brings us to three names. Lukáš Kubiš also seems like a certainty to me, so that’s four riders already. What do you think about Odd Christian Eiking?” he then asks IJnsen. “He’s raced multiple Grand Tours, was once 11th in the Vuelta a España (2021), and wore the red leader’s jersey for several days. To me, he’s a sure pick,” IJnsen states. Horssels adds that it’s starting to get crowded, because under normal circumstances Victor Lafay and Wout Poels would also be there next summer in France.
Leaving Townsend out and adding one big name
When Horssels suggests that the 30-year-old Irish champion Rory Townsend is on his list as well, a discussion arises. “Honestly, I wouldn’t include him,” IJnsen responds. “He’s been a good rider in Dutch Continental races, but only a pro since 2023. First with Black Spoke Bolton Equities from New Zealand, and the last two years with Q36.5 Pro Cycling. He has never raced a Grand Tour, so based on that, he doesn’t have more experience than other guys in their selection.” Horssels notes that there isn’t much room for riders like Kopecký, Lander Loockx, and Adrien Maire to make the squad.
“For us it’s hard to gauge: do we need more experience? Or rather someone who can contest finales in certain Classics or Grand Tours?” Tietema pondered in the same interview last week. If IJnsen were in his position, he would know. “I think there should still be one rider added who could ride a Grand Tour. The question is: is there one still available on the market?” However, according to Horssels, that’s not strictly necessary. “I conclude that even without that rider they already have quite a strong team that won’t be completely lost at the Tour.”
Unibet Rose Rockets for the 2026 Tour de France according to WielerFlits
Odd Christian Eiking
Dylan Groenewegen
Lukáš Kubiš
Victor Lafay
Wout Poels
Elmar Reinders
Hartthijs de Vries
Vacant
https://open.spotify.com/episode/31xbttRm4jK0CYJQGBvfiq?si=3PuB4cCpRs2S8jE77zhx4Q
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