‘Vanishing’ Victor Lafay (Unibet Rose Rockets) on the comeback trail

Victor Lafay is still waiting for his debut with Unibet Rose Rockets. The former stage winner in the Tour de France transferred this past winter from Decathlon AG2R, after initially wanting to hang up his bike due to motivation issues. In recent weeks, he consistently appeared on start lists, but just as often disappeared from them. The reason is simple.

The French puncheur is currently still listed to start at Strade Bianche, but will not participate. In earlier races, his name was also part of provisional start lists, where he eventually dropped out as well. Unibet Rose Rockets aims to start every race with their strongest possible lineup in their pursuit of UCI points. Lafay is part of that plan, but so far illness has held him back. The team evaluates, on a race-by-race basis, who can best replace him within the collective.

They often postpone that decision until a later moment, to avoid constant communication with organizers about changes in their provisional selections, Unibet Rose Rockets told WielerFlits. The team with a French license and Dutch roots hopes to have Lafay back soon. “Victor has been ill and is on the road to recovery. His debut for our team is therefore delayed. We will deploy him as soon as he is fully recovered and available.”