And Bas Tietema approved: "Czech wonder kid" Kopecky impresses against Pedersen, along with the newest member of the team
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleUnibet Tietema Rockets will have watched Saturday's Tour of Denmark with satisfaction. The Dutch cycling team, which rides under a French professional license, did not compete for the top spots in the final stage, but saw its already announced 2026 signing Matyas Kopecky impress with a fourth-place finish. Team Novo Nordisk watched approvingly, according to a glowing press release. The latest addition to the team, Niklas Larsen, who was presented on Sunday, also made his mark.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kopecky is the younger brother of Tomas Kopecky, the 25-year-old Czech who has been riding for Unibet Tietema Rockets since 2023 and will therefore be reunited with Matyas from 2026. The two are half Dutch, as they were born in Leiden, but now compete in cycling under their father's Czech flag. The link with the team of founder Bas Tietema is therefore not surprising, nor is the arrival of top sprinter Dylan Groenewegen from 2026.
Matyas Kopecky proved on the fifth and final day of the Tour of Denmark that he is a top talent, or as Novo Nordisk described him, a "Czech wonder kid". The pro-continental rider kept pace with Lidl-Trek duo Mads Pedersen and Jakob Söderqvist and Visma | Lease a Bike leader Axel Zingle. In a four-man sprint, Kopecky finished fourth, but according to him, that was the best he could do.
Continue reading below the video
Kopecky had to dig deep to keep up with Pedersen and co.
Because Kopecky was not feeling well at the start of stage 5, as he himself admitted. “I had so much pain in my legs today, it was like my thighs were full of needles, and I felt terrible at the start, but Filippo inspired us, and I gradually started to feel better as the race went on.”
Nevertheless, Kopecky stayed with the group and finished in a bold position in the final results. “The last laps were insanely fast and I was struggling on the climb up to the line, when Pedersen jumped I couldn’t follow and I desperately threw my bike to try for third. Ah. Ok. On reflection it’s a good result, year on year we’re better here and I think we’ve done a great job in front of our home fans and Novo Nordisk, but I wanted to win or at the very least top three.”
Continue reading below the photo
Unibet Tietema Rockets signs Tour of Denmark sensation Larsen
While Unibet Tietema Rockets was disappointed on Saturday when Lukas Kubis dropped from third to fourth place in the final standings, 24 hours later there was cause for celebration with the signing of a new rider. He also showed his best side in the Tour of Denmark. The 28-year-old Larsen was presented on Sunday morning as the latest rider for Tietema and co. for 2026, one day after finishing third in his home race.
Larsen has ridden for Uno-X Mobility in recent years, but will compete for the continental BHS-PL Beton Bornholm in 2025. There, he caught the eye of other teams, with a podium finish in Denmark, overall victory in the Tour du Loir et Cher, second place in the Tour of Estonia, and second place and a stage win in Kreiz Breizh. Larsen is also best known for his career on the track, with world titles in the Team Pursuit in 2023 and 2024.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
Eddie Dunbar wins Vuelta stage as Pinarello-Q36.5 put three riders in top five and Roglič attacks
Tom Pidcock ends 2026 fifth in the world, with Ciccone and Hayter arriving at Pinarello for 2027
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado's injury isn't as bad as feared, but she may not line up for a while
TotalEnergies rescued from collapse, but rider recruitment remains a problem before 27th Tour de France appearance
Popular Cycling News
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Disqualified Schreiber skips European Championship podium: 'I’m very grateful that she said that'
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Schreiber slams disrespectful European cyclocross championship judges: 'They didn’t even let me finish speaking'
Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
