Unibet Revelation Kubis excited for arrival of Groenewegen: ‘Told him I'm the most annoying guy on the team'

Will Unibet Rose Rockets ride the Tour de France? It looks increasingly likely. If the team receives a wildcard, team owner Bas Tietema will have achieved his goal in fewer than four years. One of the stars of the squad is Lukas Kubis, and the Slovak champion is eager to be on the start line. But with Dylan Groenewegen joining the team, his exact role is still unclear.

Kubis joined Tietema and co. for the presentation of the Tour route. “It was so cool,” he beamed to Domestique. “I really enjoyed it because there’s only one time when it's your first Tour presentation. When we arrived there, I was like a little kid, I was so happy, and when the presentation started, I was just watching all the pictures, and it was like, ‘We are so close."

Of course, the wildcard is not yet secured, but with Arkéa–B&B Hotels disappearing and Lotto–Intermarché merging, everyone moves up a few spots. And as a French team, Unibet Rose Rockets — bolstered by strong results — appears to have an excellent chance. “Now we just need to wait," said the sprinter. "There's still a lot of work to do. But I'm sure we will be ready when we get the chance."

With the arrival of Dylan Groenewegen (and his key lead-out man Elmar Reinders), Kubis seems to have new competition. Until now, the 25-year-old Slovak often had his own opportunities in bunch sprints, but Groenewegen brings more top speed and far more experience. Still, Kubis views the arrivals positively. "when I heard about these guys, I was really happy, and when I met them, I told them that maybe for you, I’m the most annoying guy on the team because I will ask you so many questions."

For Kubis, it is primarily a chance to progress. "This is the way you can learn, because they know how to do these things, as they have done them so many times. If there is a Tour next year or in the future, it will be the first Grand Tour. The first three weeks of racing for me. The first time in my life. So I just want to know how to do it, because it’s really hard. I think normal people can not imagine something like that."

A role in the sprint train appears likely. "I’m really looking forward to the first team camp, because then we will develop that team train, because you know, when you are sprinting at 60/70 km/h, you need to have a blind trust in the guy who is leading you or who is in front of your wheel. I spoke with Groenewegen and Reinders during the team kickoff and the time before, and I can see the energy in them."

Should Unibet Rose Rockets make it to the Tour, the fast man already has big plans. "Yeah, it’s the yellow jersey... No, I’m joking, man, but it would be nice to fight with Pogi," Kubis laughed. "No, but as I said before, if we ride the Tour, it would be a crazy moment for me, and I think we will fully go for it for sure."

He already has one stage circled. "When I saw during the presentation that the last stage will finish with Montmartre, I did that climb in the Paris Olympics, so I know that climb really well. The atmosphere was crazy good. If there is a Tour, I want to win a stage. If there is no Tour, I want to win the other races."