Teams & Riders In before the (inevitable) big win! The TDT-Unibet cycling team!

[GenericBoonenFan]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3Enn3_lAJA
(Video in Dutch, English and French subtitles available)

Bas Tietema has launched his team this year.
And from the looks of it, it's a pretty well-run structure.


They signed 12 riders, amongst them former WT-riders such as Tanfield and Inkelaar. Aswell as some interesting prospects (Bomboi, Kopecky).
In an interview with "The Lanterne Rouge Cycling Podcast" he stated that the team won't stay Continental, the aim is to steadily grow and reach atleast PCT-level in the coming years. (Bas mentioned next year a couple of times in his interview) I'll paraphrase some other interesting things that were said.


-Low-level races have already reached out and invited them to participate (!). Mainly because the team will attempt a new way of profiling itself in social media and that certain races are interested in this exposure. This doesn't mean however that all riders will suddenly become content-creators. Their profession is and will always mainly be cycling.

-The idea behind the team is to have "A cycling team with a YouTube structure behind them". As according to Bas YouTube is the most superior social media and it's heavily undervalued and -used by cyling Teams.

-Dutch cycling pundit Rob Hamerling will be their DS. The former TDF-stage winner makes his debut in managing cycling teams.

-The team will ride on Cannondale this year.

-The goal for the next year will be being competitive in the races. And to bring the current riders with them to PCT-level.

 

[RedheadDane]

-The team will ride on Cannondale this year.

Next year too, I presume.
I think this is the first time someone has made a team thread before the team has actually raced.

 

[tobydawq]

I think this is the first time someone has made a team thread before the team has actually raced.

Why? That seems very likely to have happened before... For example with Sky, GrrenEdge, Leopard-Trek...

 

[RedheadDane]

Why? That seems very likely to have happened before... For example with Sky, GrrenEdge, Leopard-Trek...

I should have been more specific.
It's the first time someone has created a thread for a random conti-team started by a YouTuber before the team has even raced.

 

[tobydawq]

I should have been more specific.
It's the first time someone has created a thread for a random conti-team started by a YouTuber before the team has even raced.

Uh, sure...

 

[RedheadDane]

Uh, sure...

Mostly I was just amused by GBF's confidence that they'll absolutely get a big win.
GBF, is it just because they got Bomboi on the roster?

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Mostly I was just amused by GBF's confidence that they'll absolutely get a big win.
GBF, is it just because they got Bomboi on the roster?

No comment

 

[Wyndbrook]

Next year too, I presume.
I think this is the first time someone has made a team thread before the team has actually raced.

It's good to be positive and get mildly excited about new teams, hopefully better future than the old bed and breakfast fiasco.

 

[Finn84]

Hopefully it ends better than previous team named Unibet back in 2007.

 

[Bolder]

What I found interesting is that he mentioned he'd be paying more than the standard continental level salary, which je said ranges from pay to ride to 500 euros à month, if I heard correctly. So 1000 a month ought to be enough to get some decent results.

 

[tobydawq]

Hopefully it ends better than previous team named Unibet back in 2007.

You really think they'll win a stage in as big a race as Tour de Suisse (which Urán did)?

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

You really think they'll win a stage in as big a race as Tour de Suisse (which Urán did)?

That would be hard given that they're a conti-team which won't race WT-races this year.

 

[RedheadDane]

That would be hard given that they're a conti-team which won't race WT-races next year.

They obviously won't next year, but from what I understand, the plan is to go PCT from 2024, so... one step on the way, I guess.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Heck yeah, first victory and it's a .pro race!

 

[RedheadDane]

Okay, this is pretty cool!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1755194105213096379

 

[Berniece]

Hope they can win a stage and maybe even the GC in Antalya. Their new bike is also very nice.

 

[RedheadDane]

TDT-Unibet Cycling Team | Samen zetten we de wielerwereld op z'n kop

www.tourdetietema.nl

 

[E_F_]

TDT-Unibet Cycling Team | Samen zetten we de wielerwereld op z'n kop

www.tourdetietema.nl

Yay! I understand the headline!

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

I'm very hyped for Lukas Kubis ngl.
The dude has the potential to top 10 some classics next year.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Welcome news about sponsor, I know it's a sponsors dream and they need to, but I wish teams would stop talking about aiming for the tour. Bike racing is littered with failed or never actually physically existed teams who made the same old aim.

 

[RedheadDane]

Suggestion for new thread title:

Rockets Ready for Takeoff

 

[tobydawq]

"the Unibet Tietema Rockets will become the first team in professional cycling with a franchise name"

Ineos Grenadiers?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

"the Unibet Tietema Rockets will become the first team in professional cycling with a franchise name"

Ineos Grenadiers?

It might become such (leaving aside the Grenadiers) if future sponsors retain the name, but until then, it's no more than a pointless suffix like Bahrain Victorious.

 

[tobydawq]

It might become such (leaving aside the Grenadiers) if future sponsors retain the name, but until then, it's no more than a pointless suffix like Bahrain Victorious.

Now that you mention it, is Victorious not just the plural form of Victoriou?

 

[pastronef]

I wish them good, but we've already seen a few teams going "we'll ride the TDF in x years" just to never do it.
they'll need for Arkea and Astana to fold and Total being left out, then maybe in 2029 they can get a wild card