Unibet Rose Rockets could miss out on the Tour de France again: 'They don’t claim to be French at all'

Team manager Bas Tietema had only one real goal when he founded his own team: to compete in the Tour de France. At first, people laughed it off, but he quickly proved he was dead serious. Over the years, the team became incredibly strong, and with a 26th-place finish on the UCI rankings, it suddenly looked like they were in excellent shape for 2026.

Tudor, Pinarello - Q36.5, and Cofidis had already secured their spots. That meant there were still two spots left: TotalEnergies also seemed like a sure thing, and the Rockets—with a French license, top riders like Dylan Groenewegen, Wout Poels, and Victor Lafay, and a massive fan base behind them—were the next logical choice. However Christian Prudhomme chose Caja Rural - Seguros RGA instead.

The Frenchman explained the decision. Since the race starts in Spain, he wanted to invite a Spanish team. “Caja Rural also finished fourth in the team classification of the last Vuelta, where their team leader, Abel Balderstone, finished 13th in the general classification,” said Prudhomme. And the Rockets? “They don’t claim to be French at all. They have more Dutch riders.”

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A major setback for the Rockets. Fortunately, they were able to compete in the Giro d'Italia, where they showed their best side. However, they failed to secure a stage victory. Still, by the end of 2026, Tietema’s team had climbed to 22nd place in the UCI rankings—a new high. Since Caja Rural didn’t make much of an impact at the Tour, the path to Le Grand Départ seems clear for the Rockets. Right?

It turns out to be more complicated after all. At least, that’s according to the Spanish newspaper Marca. Because Burgos Burpellet BH also seems to be building a dream team. The Spanish team has already signed Mathieu Burgaudeau, Mattéo Vercher, and Thomas Bonnet. Not the biggest names, but importantly, they are French. This year they competed in the Vuelta a España, but that race rotates its wild cards among the Spanish teams, so it looks like it’s Caja Rural and Euskaltel–Euskadi’s turn.

The team finished the year in 24th place, with 4,366 points, nearly 3,000 behind the Unibet Rose Rockets. But Marca reports that a spot in the Tour de France is getting closer and closer for Burgos Burpellet BH. That would mean the Rockets would once again miss out on a wild card, as the Tour often selects TotalEnergies. In that case, the Giro d’Italia or the Vuelta a España would have to be the alternative.