After 26 attempts, Wout Poels reflects on his final Grand Tour and what it's like to be a Rocket

After 26 Grand Tours, 22 finishes and two stage wins, Wout Poels’ Grand Tour career is finally over. The 38-year-old Dutchman rode to the Giro d’Italia with the enthusiastic sprint train of Unibet Rose Rockets, but the dream of winning a stage there did not come true. In Rome, however, IDL Pro Cycling still found a satisfied Poels.

Poels eventually featured in two breakaways and finished ninth and eighth on those days. He also tested himself among the GC riders for several days. “I look back on it quite positively. Of course you want to win a stage, but that is very difficult. I was at a super-high level, so it was nice to race like that,” he said on the final day.

With Visma | Lease a Bike winning all the mountain stages, Poels had no luck as a breakaway rider hoping for a stage win from the front group. “In one Grand Tour you have a bit more luck than in another. That is part of it. If you have a very strong team like Visma | Lease a Bike and you can also win with someone like Sepp Kuss... He usually works his socks off for others too.”

For Poels and the other breakaway riders, only the crumbs were left. The veteran had to do it on his own in that respect. “It was quite an experience. I obviously come from the WorldTour and this was different from my other teams. I noticed it was the first time for most of them, but I had a good bond with everyone, even though as a climber I was on a little island inside a sprint team.”

The Unibet Rose Rockets brought a full sprint train for Dylan Groenewegen, but that never bothered Poels. “It clicked well, so it was a positive experience. I’ve also never experienced going into the final day of a Grand Tour with such a sprint team, so that was new. You have to stay a bit sharper.”

Poels had said in Rome that he hoped for a stage win in the final stage with Groenewegen, but the sprinter finished fourth. Poels himself was never part of the sprint train and was therefore able to roll in peacefully in the Italian capital. “I think I was better than last year. In the end it is always hard and you are glad to be there. I did manage to score some results, so that gives a good feeling.”

Still, the Giro stage win will be missing from his palmarès when he retires as a rider after 2026. “Winning a stage in the Giro was still a very nice goal and, as a sportsman, it is also good to have such a target. Now that it hasn’t worked out, my career is not suddenly any less successful. I was at a high level and I enjoyed it just as much.”

Poels did win a stage in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España in his career, and he said he enjoyed his last day in a Grand Tour. “The last few days were tough. The team wanted to discuss my programme after the Giro, but I told them that had to wait a week. First finish the race. A stage in Rome goes fast — you’re folded over your bike the whole time.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])