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Matilda Price

Sorry, ASO, but I think you've made the wrong decision – Unibet Rose Rockets are the team the Tour de France needs

VALENCIA, SPAIN - JANUARY 25: Race winner Dylan Groenewegen of Netherlands and Team Unibet Rose Rockets reacts after the 42nd Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969 - Gran premio Valencia 2026 a 200km one day race from La Nucia to Valencia on January 25, 2026 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Antonio Baixauli/Getty Images).

A few months ago, it felt almost certain that we'd see Unibet Rose Rockets, a professional cycling team born from a YouTube channel, line up for their first Tour de France in 2026.

They'd changed their nationality to French, ranked among the top 30 UCI teams, and signed not one but three former Tour stage winners. It looked like the final wildcard invitation was in their hands.

This morning, however, it was announced that that would not be the case. The possibility had started to become clear over the week, when the Rockets missed out on wildcards to other ASO races like Paris-Nice, the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

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