The UCI ProTeam has an amazing backstory of how it evolved from three friends running a YouTube channel to now co-owning the recently renamed Unibet Rose Rockets.
They have expressed a clear goal for their team to compete in the Tour de France. The 2025 season was a breakout year for the Rockets, as they secured their top 30 place in the UCI rankings. This means they are now eligible for a Grand Tour wild card. The Rockets had many strong results throughout the year.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Unibet Rockets had some brilliant results this year, with Lander Loockx winning the Chollet Agglo Tour, along with star man Lukas Kubis riding to victory in Paris – Camembert. He also stunned the peloton with a striking 2nd place in the general classification at the Tour of Denmark, resulting in a substantial number of UCI points to help secure their top 30 team ranking.
With a potential Grand Tour wildcard invite looming in the near future. The Rockets have made some very strong signings for the 2026 season, looking to improve and strengthen their roster.
Dylan Groenewegen
Embed from Getty ImagesEighty-one career victories, 6 stage wins in the Tour de France and a two-time national champion, there is no doubt that Dylan Groenewegen is a great signing for the Rockets, who will bring vital winning experience into the team. He will be one to watch throughout the year for his new team, being a brilliant fast man option. He will also be a hopeful chance at a stage win should the Rockets get given the Tour de France wildcard. The Dutchman will bring a wealth of experience from winning races and many years in the professional peloton. They have doubled down, even bringing in Groenewegen’s lead-out man, which brings us on to the next signing.
Elmar Reinders
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Rockets have strengthened their sprint train, bringing lead-out specialist and Groenewegen’s trusted lieutenant, Elmar Reinders. He will bring experience and knowledge as he enters the final kilometres. The Rockets will be hoping he will deliver his teammates to the stage win on numerous occasions this upcoming season. Reinders has been a professional since 2011 and has participated in three grand tours, all of which were the Tour de France.
Rory Townsend
Embed from Getty ImagesThe current Irish national champion joins the Rockets from Q36.5. He brings great depth to the team and is a strong shot in a breakaway. During this season’s Hamburg Cyclassics, he managed to hold off the chasers, winning the race by a tiny margin. Townsend also possesses a strong finishing kick, meaning plenty of strong results are possible for the 2026 season, which will result in a good tally of UCI points. He has committed to a two-year contract with the Rockets, which will keep him there until 2027.
Wout Poels
Embed from Getty ImagesThe experienced climbing man will be one of the Rockets’ main threats in the general classification. Poels, who was a climbing domestique for the 4x Tour de France Chris Froome. He has also had a fair share of success, with a grand tour stage winner, as well as winning the monument, Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He is another signing that will bring valuable experience to the team and hopefully get some strong general classification results for the upcoming year.
Victor Lafay
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 29-year-old was ready to retire when the Rockets approached him and showed him a plan he couldn’t refuse. With two grand tour stage wins, one from the breakaway in the Giro d’Italia and an exceptional final kilometre attack on an elite bunch including the likes of Wout Van Aert and Tadej Pogacar, led to Lafay’s first win in the Tour de France. This resulted in Lafay wearing the green points jersey for two stages. The Frenchman will be looking to reignite his career and help the Rockets accumulate more UCI points in 2026, allowing the team to continue establishing itself on the professional cycling map and compete in the Tour de France.
These riders join a very strong team already, bringing extra depth, experience, and power. The team finished 26th in the UCI standings and hopes to improve even further next year. The Unibet Rose Rockets will be an eye-catching team in the 2026 season as they carry on their charge towards the grand tours.
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