Unibet Rose Rockets invited back to Roubaix (under a new race name), major surprise for Hincapie’s team

It follows a painful setback earlier this winter, when the Rockets unexpectedly learned they would not receive a Tour de France invitation. With signings such as Dylan Groenewegen, Wout Poels and Victor Lafay (among others), the French-licensed ProTeam had hoped to be on the start line in Barcelona.

But after that Tour disappointment, a long list of spring invitations quickly softened the blow. The pink-and-purple team already has Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Milan–San Remo, Gent–Wevelgem (Middelkerke), Dwars door Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne on the schedule.

And it’s not just another race being added: Paris-Roubaix is also on Unibet Rose Rockets’ 2026 programme. That means the team’s 2025 debut in the Monument gets a sequel — and the first appearance was more than respectable. Abraham Stockman made the early break, while Axel Huens (27th) and Tomas Kopecky (33rd) delivered solid results.

In Roubaix, the Rockets will also line up against Flanders Baloise, the team that recently edged them in a punchy uphill sprint at the Étoile de Bessèges. The wildcard list also includes Q36.5, Cofidis, TotalEnergies, Tudor and — in a headline-grabbing addition — Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, the new ProTeam project fronted by George Hincapie.

Unsurprisingly, Hincapie reacted with clear enthusiasm to the invitation: “The opportunity to race Paris-Roubaix in our first season as a professional team is both unique and incredibly exciting. It’s a race that’s close to my heart, where I have great memories as a rider, and now we get to experience it together from a whole new perspective.”

He added: “It’s also a great opportunity to showcase the strength of our equipment partners on the sport’s biggest stage. It will be a big test for the entire team, but we will approach it with careful preparation and as a unit. Once again, we thank ASO for their confidence in our mission as a team and for this opportunity.”

As for the route, there are no major surprises — although the order of the opening cobbled sectors has been tweaked back to the 2024 layout. Race director Thierry Gouvenou explained the reasoning on the organiser’s website: “By veering slightly east towards the village of Briastre, we arrive at a situation where the first four sectors follow one another in quick succession, with almost no asphalt in between, creating an unmatched density of cobbles.”

Gouvenou also pointed to what happened there in 2024: “Two years ago, Alpecin-Deceuninck had already begun to scatter the peloton at this stage. And at the end of this sequence, we are adding sector #26, even more rarely used and featuring an 800-metre climb.”

One thing that has changed is the event’s official name. From 2026 onward, the Monument will be branded as Paris-Roubaix Hauts-de-France, referencing the French region in which the race is held.