2026 Giro d'Italia team-by-team guide: Jayco backs Ben O’Connor as GC leader
The 109th Giro d'Italia begins in Bulgaria on 8 May, and the 23 teams heading to the Grande Partenza in Nessebar are now finalising the eight-rider squads they will throw at three weeks of racing that takes the peloton from the Black Sea coast through the south of Italy and on to the high mountains before a finish in Rome. We'll be tracking each team's selection as it lands, with a short note on the leader, the support cast, and what each squad is actually trying to achieve over the three weeks.
Unibet Rose Rockets
In 2019, it was team owner Bas Tietema who began by making YouTube videos during the Tour de France. That project gradually evolved into a professional cycling team, which made its Continental debut in 2023 and is set to line up in a Grand Tour for the first time in 2026. An extraordinary rise that challenges many of the sport’s traditional conventions.
But the Rockets are not here just to make up the numbers. With five victories so far this season, four of them courtesy of Dylan Groenewegen, the French outfit has every reason to target real results. With Marcel Kittel acting as sprint coach, and the experience of Groenewegen himself alongside Elmar Reinders in the lead-out train, the ambition is clear: to make history by taking a stage win in one of the sprints.
Away from the fast finishes, the team also has options. Wout Poels provides a strong card in the mountains, while Tomáš Kopecký could emerge as a surprise contender in the transition stages.
Team leader: Dylan Groenewegen
Objective: Stage wins
Rider to watch: Tomáš Kopecký
Unibet Rose Rockets Giro d'Italia line-up
| Rider | Nationality |
|---|---|
Dylan Groenewegen | Netherlands |
Elmar Reinders | Netherlands |
Wout Poels | Netherlands |
Niklas Larsen | Denmark |
Karsten Feldmann | Norway |
Lukáš Kubiš | Slovakia |
Tomáš Kopecký | Czech Republic |
Hartthijs de Vries | Netherlands |
Uno-X Mobility
Uno-X Mobility has confirmed their eight-rider squad for their first Giro d'Italia as a WorldTeam, with 22-year-old Johannes Kulset taking on the GC leadership in his second appearance at the race. Anders Skaarseth had been named in earlier team interviews as the planned road captain but is not in the final line-up, with the experience instead provided by Andreas Leknessund and Markus Hoelgaard.
The Norwegian outfit steps up to the WorldTour for 2026, the first Norwegian team ever to do so, and the Giro is the first of the three Grand Tours they are now obliged to start under top-tier rules.
Uno-X have framed their objectives modestly but clearly: a top-ten on GC for Kulset as part of his long-term development, and stage wins across the three Grand Tours through aggressive, breakaway-focused racing.
Team leader: Johannes Kulset
Objective: Stage wins and top ten in the GC
Rider to watch: Erlend Blikra
Uno-X Mobilty Giro d'Italia line-up
| Rider | Nationality |
|---|---|
Johannes Kulset | Norwegian |
Andsreas Leknessund | Norwegian |
Erlend Blikra | Norwegian |
Sakarias Koller Løland | Norwegian |
Markus Hoelgaard | Norwegian |
Fredrik Dversnes Lavik | Norwegian |
Martin Tjøtta | Norwegian |
Ådne Holter | Norwegian |
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