After European Championship podium with Evenepoel and Ganna: how high is the ceiling for Unibet Rose Rockets’ new “steam train”?

Anyone looking at Larsen’s career will notice it has been anything but straightforward. As a junior and U23, he was considered a major talent. That translated into, among other things, a win at Eschborn–Frankfurt U23 and second place at the U23 European Championships in Alkmaar in 2019. That same year, he also won the Tour of Denmark at a young age — ahead of, yes, Jonas Vingegaard.

It earned him a move — like so many Scandinavian prospects — to Uno-X in 2020. But across five seasons with the Norwegian outfit, things never truly clicked on the road. On the track, however, Larsen collected multiple Olympic medals and (inter)continental titles. In 2025, he decided to take a step back to the Continental level with BHS–PL Beton Bornholm, before now stepping forward again with the Rockets.

Niklas, how 's life at the Unibet Rose Rockets?
“It’s good. What can I say? It feels like a new start.”

Tell me a bit about your background, because it doesn’t look like the usual path you’ve taken in recent years.
“I started cycling at a young age and quickly had the dream of becoming a pro. As a junior I was already combining road and track, and that went quite well for a long time — including that win in the Tour of Denmark.

“In 2020 I turned pro with Uno-X, but in my first three years there I had a lot of injuries. I did get a few results here and there, but the real breakthrough just wouldn’t come. So I decided to return to Continental level, which went surprisingly well last year. And now, yeah… here I am.”

What injuries did you have during your time at Uno-X?
“The winter before I joined the team — 2019/2020 — I broke my leg and my ankle. That meant I couldn’t ride for four or five months, while there weren’t many races anyway that year because of COVID.

“In 2021 I focused on the Olympics and we won silver, but in my first road race afterwards I crashed straight away in stage one of the Tour of Denmark. I got a severe concussion and again couldn’t ride for four or five months. In total I basically couldn’t ride for almost a full year, during a period when a lot of other riders improved. It felt like everyone learned to race during and after COVID, while I only seemed to get worse. “On the road, at least — because on the track everything was fine.”

Did you ever doubt whether you even had a future on the road?
“Yes. In my final year at Uno-X I really tried, but I kept getting ill and I wasn’t performing. I was in a downward spiral, getting sent to races here and there, and I quickly realised I wasn’t going to get a new contract. That’s when I thought: maybe I just don’t have it.

“At the same time, I told myself: you have to try one more year to earn a pro contract. If it didn’t work out, at least I could say I tried.”

Mission accomplished.
“I surprised myself, I have to say. I just kept improving, like there wasn’t any limit anymore. In the first pro races — the Cholet Agglo Tour won by Lukas Kubis, and the Volta NXT Classic — that confidence also translated into results.”

If I’ve been told correctly, Bas Tietema was already in your inbox back then.
“That’s right. Bas contacted me after the Volta NXT Classic — just to get acquainted — but it became serious pretty quickly. They were the first team to really reach out, even though I also had some WorldTeams asking for my TrainingPeaks. But Unibet Rose Rockets really showed belief in me.”

And you signed the contract before the European Championships.
“Somewhere in June, yes. In hindsight maybe I could have waited longer, but I knew this was the right step for me. I trust my gut feeling.”

How much did your phone blow up after the European Championships?
“During the Tour of Denmark I already got some questions via other riders, but I’d already signed. After the Europeans it was almost too much — so many messages! That’s when you realise how big road cycling is compared to what I’ve done on the track. “At the same time, that European Championships result really was confirmation for me. I simply wanted to see how far I could go and show myself — even though I already had a contract.”

Where have you hung the photo of you on the podium with Evenepoel and Ganna?
“Now that you mention it… nowhere, haha!”

Niklas, what can we expect from you in 2026?
“I’d like to show myself in the Classics. I’ve done a few of the big Flemish races in the past, and with my physical capabilities it should suit me. That’s a big goal.”

What does the team expect from you — and what do you expect from the team? Has that been discussed openly?
“The team probably expects me to bring in UCI points, also through my time trial. At the same time we have Lukas Kubis, and I hope I can contribute in the lead-out train for him and Dylan Groenewegen.”

You said last year you already felt in winter that you had improved. How is that now?
“A lot has changed in terms of training, but I feel like I’m still improving. Before, I also trained with the track in mind, and that didn’t always make it easy to translate it into road quality.”

You signed for one year with Unibet Rose Rockets. A conscious choice?
“One day I’d like to ride for a WorldTeam. For me it was a conscious choice, because I’m basically telling myself: I want to perform this year, and physically I can still take another step. I want to see how high the roof is.”

With this team in the WorldTour someday?
“That would be beautiful! When I stop cycling, I want to be able to say I raced at the highest level. On the other hand, I think I need that pressure too — the one-year contract. Long-term, stability is better, but now — at 28 — I just want to see how far I can go. Maybe I was just lucky last year?”

Come on, Niklas. A time trial isn’t luck — and a European Championships podium certainly isn’t.
“Still, that feeling isn’t completely gone. You ask yourself: how did I do it so well? I look at my wattages now and see they’ve improved again, but…”

So you don’t believe your numbers?
“I believe them, but… I need confirmation in races. Don’t forget: I rode five years at Uno-X, and I always felt I’d done everything possible. And then it didn’t go well. So in a way that fear is still there.”

Does that make you afraid to dream for 2026?
“No, haha — not that. I’d love to win a pro race, and I want to be in finales and matter in the Classics — and in that way show that I really am a good cyclist.”