Dylan Groenewegen, from a Bulgarian family hotel, on the unique Giro opportunity for himself and Unibet Rose Rockets
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 GoogleFriday is the day: Dylan Groenewegen lines up in Bulgaria at the start of the Giro d'Italia on a mission for Unibet Rose Rockets. Stage one in Burgas should, in all likelihood, come down to a sprint. And Groenewegen is one of the fastest men in the race. On Wednesday he took time out by the Black Sea to sit down with IDL Pro Cycling for a chat.
ADVERTISEMENT
Groenewegen and the Rockets have had an excellent season, but the recent build-up has been disrupted. Groenewegen himself crashed at the Scheldeprijs, while on Monday the team were forced to confirm that Karsten Feldmann — their second-to-last lead-out man — has fallen ill and will miss the race.
Before that, Rory Townsend — the experienced Irishman originally in that role — had also dropped out. But Groenewegen and his team have already shown they can deal with that kind of setback. On Friday, in what is also the first-ever Grand Tour start for Bas Tietema's squad, they get the chance to make history. And Groenewegen knows it.
Continue reading below the photo!
Dylan Groenewegen and champagne: it already happened four times this year.
Interview Dylan Groenewegen for Giro d'Italia
Dylan, first things first. You crashed at the Scheldeprijs. How are you doing?
"My back was giving me some trouble for a while, so I had to ease off in training and take it easy. That's also why we had to skip the Ronde van Limburg, and that turned out to be the right call — the back got better pretty quickly. Then we spent three weeks in Spain with the team and it went well there. So we're ready."
And now here we are, in a family hotel in Bulgaria, before the Giro start.
"We already rode in Bulgaria today (Wednesday), but not on the stage routes yet. Although, as far as I know, there's no gravel on those. (laughs) It's a lovely country with a lot of enthusiastic people, so that's nice.
I've done the Giro once before — kind of, as I call it myself. That was after a difficult period, my suspension, and I was coming back after a long time without racing. I dropped out after about nine days, so in some ways this almost feels like my first Giro too."
You're not the only one on your team in that position.
"That's true for five of our riders, yes. But that makes it even more exciting. It's a shame Karsten Feldmann got ill after the training camp, but in Matyáš Kopecký we have a rider with the same capabilities stepping in for him."
Continue reading below the photo!
Dylan Groenewegen in the Tour of Bruges.
Will you race the sprints on your own strength at this Giro?
"Absolutely. We've been working towards that all year, and a lot of meetings and discussions have gone into it. There's a lot of input from me and from Elmar, but the younger guys also bring ideas to the table. If that can be rewarded with victories, it gives everyone a boost.
Marcel Kittel plays a big part in that too, of course. That started back in winter, with all the meetings we had then. Marcel is full of energy, loves doing it, and it shows in everything. He doesn't mind spending an extra half hour in a meeting, goes through everything meticulously — and that only drives us all on more."
How well do you know that stage-one finale into Burgas?
"Very well. We started working on it two or three weeks ago, and by then we'd already talked through our plans with each other. Now we're getting into the fine details, but I can say that I know exactly what those last two or three kilometres look like."
Continue reading below the photo!
Dylan Groenewegen with Marcel Kittel.
Who are your biggest rivals?
"Milan, Magnier, Moschetti — Malucelli can always spring a surprise, Lund Andresen I definitely expect... there are about eight of them for a stage like the first one. Everyone is still fresh and full of ambition, so you have to write down all of those names."
And every team is keeping an eye on you.
"You could already feel that in the first race of the season in Valencia. We started with a win straight away, which made everyone even more aware. When it worked again in Bruges — the first WorldTour sprint race of the year — it was a matter of proving ourselves again. And now you're at a point where you notice it in the peloton too: others are watching you."
Finally: how do those days and hours feel before a sprint stage?
"The team presentation gets it all started, and then the day before you can relax a bit and go over everything once more. That builds up the tension slightly, which is a good feeling — but I'm someone who always sleeps well."
Read also
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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
Unibet Rose Rockets coach Marcel Kittel is central to sprint development: 'You have to earn the Tour de France'
Tadej Pogačar's former helper becomes the second Belgian on Movistar's roster:
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Paul Seixas targets the Classics on his way to emulating Pogačar and Evenepoel: 'I'd love to try my luck'
Tadej Pogačar offers glimpse into his unique heart rate and sleep data on HBO documentary: 'It's just a matter of luck'
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'
Cycling world reeling from European Championship drama involving Brand and Schreiber: 'Today, no one won, and only cyclocross lost'
Brand takes European title after Schreiber disqualification: 'It's definitely the strangest one I've ever won'
Latest Comments
- Is the Giro the race that happens before the Tour? And does winning the mountains jersey mean Carapaz scored the most points on climbs? Which race was everyone’s favourite?bikebuffj05-11-2026
- How did Mathieu van der Poel miss the list? His classics results surely put him in the conversation.sprocketspiny05-11-2026
- McNulty deserves more credit than his ranking suggests. A world title and all that work as a domestique make for a superb season.tourdeforce905-11-2026
- Seixas winning Lombardia at 20 is astonishing. The “next Pogačar” label feels a bit premature, though—let him build his own story before piling on the comparisons.andrewf05-11-2026
- Pogačar’s palmarès is ridiculous, but Van Aert deserves a special mention for Roubaix. Beating Tadej in the velodrome was one of the moments of the season.cyclechamp4505-11-2026
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026