No retirement after all? 'Lafay ready for another adventure and signs for Unibet Rose Rockets'

Unibet Rose Rockets keep leveling up. After a strong 2025, the Franco‑Dutch squad founded by Dutch Youtuber Bas Tietema is very much in the fight for a Tour de France wildcard in 2026 — which means another injection of top‑end quality is essential. Following headline signings like Dylan Groenewegen and Wout Poels, the team appears ready to pull off one more coup.

According to L'Équipe, the Rockets are close to signing Victor Lafay from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale — a move that would see the 29-year old Frenchman step down from the WorldTour for a fresh adventure on the second level of cycling. It’s another surprising twist given that Lafay had openly flirted with the idea of stopping altogether.

Lafay turned pro in 2019 with Cofidis and had some good years early on in his career. He debuted in the Giro d’Italia in 2021 and immediately won Stage 8 after a stunning solo, kicking off several strong seasons with notable results at the Critérium du Dauphiné and a stage victory at the Arctic Race of Norway. The young climber was monitored by several teams, but stayed with the French team — for now.

His biggest moment came at the 2023 Tour de France. After being one of the few riders able to shadow (and indeed attack) Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard on stage 1 around Bilbao, he pounced the next day in the Basque Country. In stage 2 to San Sebastián, Lafay slipped clear under the flamme rouge from a reduced bunch and held off a charging Wout van Aert for a stunning win. He was the only French stage winner that year and delivered Cofidis’ first Tour stage victory in 15 years.

The fairy tale stalled after that. His switch to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale didn’t bring much luck; injuries and setbacks followed, and the performances dwindled. Some days, he was able to show his class, but those days were too few. This season, after more bad luck, Lafay began publicly questioning whether to continue in the sport.

"It wouldn’t be bad to go out at the top," the 29-year-old Frenchman said earlier this year. "If I stop, it will be to do other sporting projects, so it’s better if I’m not physically ruined. I wanted to take a decision before coming here, but circumstances have meant it’s taken a bit of time,” Lafay said. “So I’m really at 50-50." With Unibet offering Rose Rockets a way out, Lafay appears to be moving on after all.