At its founding in 2023, the goal for (then still) TDT-Unibet was clear: to ride the 2026 Tour de France. Many considered that too ambitious. But due to various circumstances, it might very well be that the team of Bas Tietema, Josse Wester, and Devin van der Wiel will be there next summer. In fact, they can hardly miss out on a wildcard. Bas Tietema discusses that possibility with WielerFlits.
On Thursday, the ASO will present the route for the 2026 Tour de France in Paris. Tietema will attend on behalf of Unibet Tietema Rockets (the team's name since Monday). Looking at the facts, this cannot be without cause. Now that Uno-X Mobility has secured a WorldTour license for the coming three years on sporting grounds and Cofidis is relegated, Tietema and his team’s chances have risen significantly. Since Cofidis is among the top three ProTeams, they receive a guaranteed wildcard for all three Grand Tours, just like Tudor Pro Cycling and Q36.5 Pro Cycling do.
Relatively little competition
Grand Tour organizers such as the Tour de France are allowed, due to a UCI rule change this year, to grant two additional wildcards themselves, provided the ProTeam finished in the top 30 of the UCI Team Ranking last year. Due to the merger of Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty and the disappearance of Arkéa-B&B Hotels, the following teams are eligible for those two wildcards in the Tour: TotalEnergies, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Unibet Rockets, Burgos-Burpellet-BH, Equipo Kern Pharma, VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè, and Polti-VisitMalta.
Dylan Groenewegen will make the switch to Bas Tietema’s team this coming winter - photo: Unibet Rockets
Since Tietema’s team holds a French license and the other teams have not previously come close to Tour participation, Unibet Rockets can hardly miss out on that last wildcard. “I can only speak for our side,” says Tietema. “With making the top 30 this season and the growth we’re going through, we want to be as well-prepared as possible should the opportunity arise. There have been many external factors that have increased or decreased the chance. An extra wildcard, a merger, a team that folds. You can’t plan for that.”
But all of that is coming together in recent weeks. “If there are teams above you that drop out, everything shifts,” continues the team founder. “You have eighteen WorldTeams, three guaranteed wildcards, and then two remain. Then you have TotalEnergies, who have earned their stripes in recent years with Jordan Jegat and Anthony Turgis. But I still find it very hard to say that we are next in line. Our growth has been extremely rapid. It is nice that people mention us as candidates.”
Groenewegen was not brought in without reason
Still, preparations for the new season begin quickly. Tietema finds it difficult to say whether they are already factoring in a possible Tour participation. “In the end, we did bring in Dylan Groenewegen, someone with whom you can be competitive in the Tour. To that extent, we did take the growth of our team into account. Whether it’s the Tour or other major races, we are certainly factoring that in. If the Tour does indeed happen, it will be our first time. We still have steps to take before then.”
“With how we rode in 2025 and the reinforcements yet to come, I hope there will be stages where we can perform well,” Tietema cautiously looks ahead. “With Lukáš Kubiš and Dylan, we truly have riders who can compete at the highest level, whether in classics or sprint stages. But the tricky thing about wildcards is that they’re unpredictable. Will you get an invitation or not? That’s still an open question for us. We try to be as well-prepared as possible. Until then, I don’t have much more to say.”
