Tour de France wildcard battle heats up as Rockets face growing Spanish challenge

Speaking to WielerFlits at Thursday's 2027 Tour de France route presentation in Paris, Tietema reaffirmed the French-registered team's ambition to compete in cycling's biggest race. Joined by sprint coach and 14-time Tour stage winner Marcel Kittel, Tietema hopes to complete a remarkable rise for a team founded just four years ago, in 2023.

“We’ve stated from the very beginning that the Tour de France is our ambition, it’s the greatest race, and one we’d love to take part in," Tietema told WielerFlits. "We’ve brought several team members here to show just how much we value this race."

“I’m mainly here to show our face and demonstrate that we have the ambition to compete in this race one day. It’s all very laid-back, really. We’ve had a great meal, it’s a nice way to wrap-up the season."

With six-time Tour stage winner Dylan Groenewegen leading the team, the 2027 route could offer plenty of opportunities for the Unibet Rose Rockets to build upon their Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia this year, where the Dutchman finished third on stage 3 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

"The first three stages were already known. The opening stage could end in a sprint, but you never know exactly how many sprint opportunities there will be in the end," Tietema said. 

"Dylan [Groenewegen] is in a better position to judge that, in consultation with Marcel [Kittel]. First, we need to secure a spot at the start"

The race kicks off with a British Grand Départ for the first time since 2014, and although Tietema acknowledged that the route presentation gives the team more details to study, it won’t account for much if they are unable to secure a wildcard invitation from the race organisers. 

"For us, it’s all about securing a place in the race before we can even start thinking about individual stages,” Tietema said. 

The 2027 Tour is set to feature 23 teams, including all 18 WorldTour sides. That leaves just five spots available for second-division ProTeams, including Unibet Rose Rockets.

However, the top three ProTeams based on the UCI rankings receive automatic invitations to all three Grand Tours. In 2026 those teams were Cofidis, Pinarello-Q36.5 and Tudor, and that is set to be the case again next year based on the rankings. 

That leaves Unibet Rose Rockets facing stiff competition in their bid to secure one of the final two spots. For the 2026 edition, French side TotalEnergies and Spanish team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA were invited by the race organisers, with the Grand Départ in Barcelona likely a key factor in the decision.

The future of TotalEnergies has been up in the air in recent months with the departure of the title sponsor at the end of the season. This left the future of the French team in doubt and hindered their ability to apply for a WorldTour license ahead of the UCI’s October 15 initial deadline. 

Despite the concerns, the team remain confident that they will be fit and firing in 2027 with manager Jean-René Bernaudeau vowing they will be at the start of the Tour de France next summer. 

Another team emerging as a serious contender for a Tour de France invitation is Spanish ProTeam Burgos Burpellet BH, according to Marca.

The Spanish squad have already made eight signings ahead of 2027, including three French riders from TotalEnergies: Thomas Bonnet, Mathieu Burgaudeau and Mattéo Vercher. Their arrivals could strengthen Burgos's appeal to Tour organisers ASO, with Marca reporting that the team's wildcard bid is gaining momentum.

Meanwhile, Caja Rural and Euskaltel-Euskadi are expected to benefit from the Vuelta a España's wildcard rotation system. With ASO also organising the Spanish Grand Tour, this could leave Burgos better positioned to pursue a Tour de France invitation instead.

For Tietema and the Rockets, the ambition is clear. But after missing out in 2026, convincing ASO to grant them a place in the world's biggest race could prove just as challenging as competing in it.