Tour de Tietema-Unibet have made a big step in their pursuit of one day riding the Tour de France, with Unibet set to step up to first title sponsor in 2025 after signing a new multi-year agreement.
The Dutch team will race under a French license in 2025 and become Unibet Tietema Rockets, the first team in professional cycling with a 'franchise' name, and hope to kick on from riding their first WorldTour events at Amstel Gold Race and the Renewi Tour in 2024.
The project is run by former pro rider turned successful YouTuber Bas Tietema, alongside business partners Josse Wester and Devin van der Wiel, with colourful kits and aggressive racing making up part of the team's identity. Tietema's channel has amassed almost 40 million views and more than 180,000 subscribers in a matter of years.
"It feels like yesterday that Devin, Josse and I started this project of creating our own cycling team. We had nothing, just our dreams and vision and gathered partners and people around who also believed in those dreams," read a statement from Tietema on X.
"Two years later, the team gets its own name and international identity."
Alongside their successful social media coverage and continued YouTube insight into professional racing, it's still with an all-out focus on the racing. They've managed two professional wins in their first two seasons at last year's ZLM Tour and the Tour of Antalya in February, and showed what they could bring to Amstel with Brit Zeb Kyffin being part of the day's main breakaway.
Tietema, who finished third at Paris-Roubaix U23 in his racing days, never made it to the Tour de France as a rider, however, he's determined to do so with his team, where he is now a sports director.
"Every cycling team starts out with that one dream, the Tour de France. We have been working towards that dream for a long time and probably exceeded the expectations of many already," said team owner Tietema on the team's website.
"To do so, we need to develop our riders' level, attract more global partners and tell our story in the best way possible.
"We are very proud of the development so far and now we're taking a big step towards realizing those dreams.''
While the Tour remains the main goal, the next year of racing sees Monument participation as the big target for Tietema and his team, alongside a hit out in the Spring Classics.
"That was really the goal for this year - to get into our first WorldTour races and then next year, first Monument," said Tietema to Cyclingnews speaking in April, with a possible eye on the Tour of Flanders.
"Then, of course adding more WorldTour races like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in that Flemish section, and then also improving in the climbers group because of our ultimate goal of making it to the Tour de France."
With a partnership alongside Unibet secured, the immediate future of the squad is assured, with 24 riders already confirmed for 2025, including their winner from Antalya Hartthijs de Vries.
"We're incredibly proud of the team's development and how they've worked towards our joint goal, the Tour de France. The team has a huge potential and has already proven they are capable of developing very quickly,", said Neil Banbury, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Kindred Group.
"From the beginning, their ambition, entrepreneurial spirit and the way they present themselves has been something that has inspired us and has been refreshing to the sport. We can't wait to see the Rockets in action and grow to the next level."
