'I hope we have shown enough' - Rockets push for 2027 Tour selection after debut Giro

Bas Tietema hopes the Unibet Rose Rockets have shown enough during their debut Giro d’Italia to convince Tour de France organisers that the team deserves a wildcard invitation by 2027.

"Maybe we can still qualify directly for [the Tour] next year, but that won't be easy. Otherwise, I hope we have shown enough good things to be considered," Tietema told In de Leiderstrui, reflecting on the Rockets' first Grand Tour. 

The ProTeam had made no secret of their ambitions to attend the Tour de France this summer. After missing out on a July wildcard, they quickly pivoted their focus to the Giro d’Italia, where their selection application proved successful.

Following a prolific March where marquee signing Dylan Groenewegen scooped three victories in five days, winning the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré, Ronde van Brugge, and Bredene Koksijde Classic, the team harboured genuine ambitions of fighting for a Giro stage win.

However, the Giro proved to be a series of close calls. Groenewegen secured third, fourth, and sixth-place finishes, but his campaign was disrupted by crashes in the opening stage finale and on the final corner of Stage 6 while positioning at the front of the peloton.

Speaking in Rome after finishing fourth in the final sprint, Groenewegen admitted to a bittersweet feeling. Despite missing out on the top step, the Dutchman found plenty of positives in the team's performance.

“Yeah, I think that was the big goal for this Giro, to get a victory. We came really, really close. We did some really good leadouts. We learned a lot," Groenewegen told reporters at the finish. “But yeah, the victory is still missing. So that's a bit of a pity, but yeah, for now we can't change it anymore, and this is the result.”

The final stage required the Rockets to burn valuable matches early to chase down a dangerous breakaway featuring Filippo Ganna (Netcompany-Ineos), Matteo Sobrero (Lidl-Trek), and Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step).

"Then a race like that is quite tough, and fourth place isn't bad. We have shown in all the sprints this year that Groenewegen belongs among the world elite again, and we simply had to make do with this Giro as our Grand Tour,” said Tietema. 

Despite missing a stage victory, Tietema expressed immense pride in how his squad handled the gruelling three weeks and with what he suggested was a limited number of bunch sprint opportunities. 

“Those guys ultimately didn't have very many real sprint opportunities this Tour, with the finales in Naples and Milan. Every time, they had to survive for days to have another sprint chance,” said Tietema. 

“We wanted to get Wout Poels to the highest level, together with our sprint train. That worked out very well, and we also finished with eight,” said Tietema. “Everyone has shown that they can complete a Grand Tour.”