Dylan Groenewegen is joining the YouTube-inspired Unibet Tietema Rockets on a two-year deal in a surprise move as transfer season heats up.
The 32-year-old Dutch sprinter, a six-time Tour de France stage winner, inked a two-year deal with the upstart ProTeam co-founded by YouTube personality Bas Tietema.
The team confirmed the signing Tuesday in typical fashion with a video drop on their YouTube channel.
“Sometimes it’s good to have a change,” Groenewegen said in the announcement video. “This winter, I spoke with Josse Wester [one of the team founders], and these guys are more serious than I thought. It’s a real cycling team, they want to grow and they have a really good plan. And I believe in the plan. That’s I think the most important.”
Formed in 2023, Unibet Tietema Rockets began as a quirky social media project challenging WorldTour riders to wheelie contests during Tour stages and passing out pizza slices at the end of stages.
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But the Dutch-Belgian venture has grown into a legitimate UCI ProTeam, with 27 riders and four victories so far in 2025.
The team’s 2025 roster includes Lukas Kubis and former WorldTour rider Odd Christian Eiking.
Groenewegen’s arrival takes things to another level.
Despite a disappointing Tour de France, Groenewegen remains a force in the bunch sprints, with three wins this season with Jayco-AlUla, which he leaves after four seasons.
So it’s not a dream…
WE SIGNED DYLAN GROENEWEGEN!
▶️ https://t.co/y7OrcNv232 pic.twitter.com/oUGfolHewN— Unibet Tietema Rockets (@rockets_cycling) August 5, 2025