Bas Tietema: 'The goal isn’t the WorldTour, it’s to have the biggest fanbase' - Domestique Hotseat Podcast
From YouTube beginnings to the brink of the Tour de France, The Domestique Hotseat sat down with Bas Tietema to talk storytelling, ambition and the rise of the Unibet Rose Rockets, cycling’s most unconventional team.
What began as a YouTube experiment to follow the Tour for one summer has become one of the sport’s boldest projects. “We didn’t start with a business case or a sponsor deck,” Tietema said. “We started with people who believed in what we were doing, and we built a team around that.”
Two years on, he leads the Unibet Rose Rockets from the content world into the pro peloton. “It’s been a steep climb,” he said. “Surrounding ourselves with people who know how to build a proper cycling team, that’s what made it possible.”
Tietema explains why the Rockets' name will never leave the jersey. “If someone only wants the name on the front, then maybe we’re not the right team,” he said. “Culture doesn’t change with a sponsor.”
With Wout Poels and Dylan Groenewegen joining for 2025, the message is clear. “Dylan isn’t here for a paycheck,” Tietema said. “He wants to leave a legacy. And Wout’s not just a mentor, he can still win races.”
As the team targets a 2026 Tour de France wildcard, Tietema keeps focus on the bigger goal. “It’s not just about the WorldTour,” he said. “It’s about building the biggest fanbase in cycling. If we can change even a few per cent of how the sport connects with people, that’s already huge.”
Listen now for a candid look at the Rockets’ rise, a team built on belief, creativity and a community rewriting cycling’s rulebook.
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