Unibet Tietema Rockets has announced the arrival of Matyáš Kopecký. The 22-year-old Czech is transferring from the American team Novo Nordisk. It is notable that the French team is already announcing their new signing. Until this year, that was only allowed from August 1 onwards. The UCI has relaxed those rules, but no team had yet taken advantage of them.
Kopecký was born in Rotterdam and grew up in Leiden. In the youth categories, he became Dutch cyclocross champion multiple times, but as a first-year junior, he chose to compete for the Czech Republic. Matyáš is the younger brother of Tomáš Kopecký (who already rides for the team of Bas Tietema, Josse Wester, and Devin van der Wiel) and the older brother of Julia Kopecký, who has been riding for SD Worx-ProTime since this year. They have a Dutch mother and a Czech father, giving them dual citizenship and allowing them to compete for the Czech Republic.
Matyas Kopecky| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2027 | |
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 |
Matyáš Kopecký was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of fifteen. That was also why he turned professional with Novo Nordisk. The American team has consisted exclusively of riders with diabetes since 2013. However, the Dutch-Czech has been having a strong season. Almost all the UCI points Novo Nordisk earned this year are thanks to Kopecký. Among other results, he was eleventh in Le Samyn, seventh in Paris-Camembert, fifth in La Route Adélie de Vitré, sixth in the Tour of Estonia, and second in the Czech road championship behind Mathias Vacek.
With Kopecký, the French team has secured its third new signing for the upcoming season. Earlier, WielerFlits already reported that Dylan Groenewegen is joining from Jayco-AlUla. The acquisition of the Lion of Amsterdam is considered a coup within the cycling world. Following the 32-year-old sprinter, his trusted lead-out man, Elmar Reinders, is also coming to Unibet Tietema Rockets. The 33-year-old from Drenthe raced the Tour de France alongside Groenewegen in recent weeks. The length of their contracts is not yet clear. Kopecký has committed to the team for two years.
Matyas Kopecky - photo: Cor Vos
Changed transfer rules
Unibet Tietema Rockets is thus the first team to announce a transfer for the upcoming season. As mentioned, those rules have been relaxed so teams no longer have to wait until August 1 to officially announce agreements with new riders. Often, this news leaks early, and the media widely covers it. The UCI aims to stop that, but so far no team has used the new rules. A common argument is that it can affect riders’ seasonal planning.
The first deals in recent years have already been made in spring or sometimes even before the classics. According to UCI regulations, teams were never allowed to officially sign a deal with a new rider before August 1. Often this news leaked, but no one was permitted to communicate about it. From this year onwards, that is no longer forbidden. For example, if you reach an agreement with a new rider in March, teams can now announce it immediately. The risk is that the current team may then use the rider differently or not at all in certain races.
