{"id":474555,"date":"2026-02-12T07:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T07:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/474555\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T07:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T07:01:09","slug":"does-wout-poels-still-have-a-unique-shot-at-one-last-cycling-wish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/474555\/","title":{"rendered":"does Wout Poels still have a unique shot at one last cycling wish?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The move of Wout Poels<\/a> to the Unibet Rose Rockets<\/a> was, from a Dutch perspective, one of the standout transfers of last winter. The now 38-year-old climber wants to finish his career on a high with Bas Tietema\u2019s team, because 2026 is normally expected to be his final season. Poels spoke to IDLProCycling.com in the build-up to the year, as friendly and open as ever. <\/p>\n

Five years at Vacansoleil, one season at Quick-Step, five years at Sky, five seasons at Bahrain, and then twelve months at XDS Astana: it is a huge amount of experience Poels brings to the Unibet Rose Rockets. Is the circle\u2014starting at Vacansoleil and now ending at the Rockets\u2014almost complete?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a lot bigger than Vacansoleil, but you also can\u2019t compare this team with some of the WorldTour teams I rode for,\u201d said Poels. \u201cThey operate with completely different budgets, and then you\u2019re automatically talking about very different staffing numbers. But you know that too. If you don\u2019t expect that, you\u2019ll get a nasty surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has had to adjust more than once in recent months. \u201cSince January I\u2019ve moved back from Monaco to the Netherlands, and it\u2019s going well actually. You do have to get used to the weather, but we\u2019ve also had a bit of bad luck this winter. I don\u2019t think there has been this much snow every winter in recent years, but hey\u2014doing a week on the rollers isn\u2019t a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do miss the mountains and the slightly milder climate for a moment,\u201d Poels added, \u201cbut it\u2019s especially nice to live close to the family again.\u201d The Dutchman is back in his home region. \u201cAnd I still know the local loops from earlier\u2014like what I call the \u2018tourist road\u2019 near the German border. A very long stretch with few junctions, so if you need to do blocks you can really smash it there. But yes, it\u2019s still very different from, say, the Madone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"wout-poels-3\"\/<\/p>\n

Wout Poels on behalf of the Unibet Rose Rockets<\/p>\n

Poels: \u201cI wonder if some of them have even seen me on TV\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Unibet Rose Rockets, Poels is joining a developing team as a 38-year-old, and he wants to do his part. \u201cThere are so many young riders, so it\u2019s also fun that they still want to learn certain things from you,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat it was like riding with Chris Froome, but also smaller, practical things. With some riders I honestly wonder if they\u2019ve even seen me on TV with Froome at the time\u2014they\u2019re so young,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

He not only wants to contribute with experience, but also\u2014very much\u2014on a sporting level. \u201cI just want to have a good year. Normally it\u2019s my last year, and stopping with a good feeling is the most important thing. And I do hope I can still win a race, because then I\u2019ll have won a race with every team I\u2019ve ridden for. A nice statistic, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"wout-poels\"\/Podcaster Poels already at home in the media world<\/p>\n

Something else that is new for Poels is the Unibet Rose Rockets\u2019 media approach, although he already has experience in that \u201cworld\u201d through the In Koers podcast\u2014together with Dylan van Baarle and AD journalist Marijn Abbenhuijs. It has been quiet on that front for a while, though. \u201cNormally the podcast will continue, but it\u2019s on pause for now. We need to talk about that again soon,\u201d Poels laughed.<\/p>\n

At his new team he was already \u201chired\u201d for the announcement of the new kit, which went viral <\/a>on social media. \u201cI was allowed to do it and I thought: oh nice!\u201d said the Limburg rider. \u201cBut then I heard the plan and suddenly I wasn\u2019t completely sure anymore. Ah well\u2014afterwards it turned out to be fun.\u201d Poels, as ever, was ready to laugh at himself.<\/p>\n

Is Poels\u2019 Giro dream still alive?<\/p>\n

How has Poels looked at the Tietema project from the outside over the past years? \u201cYou know what it is? As a rider you\u2019re busy with yourself,\u201d he explained. \u201cLast year I was focused on trying to win a stage in the Giro. You do see them pop up every now and then and you follow it a bit, but it\u2019s not like\u2014as a rider at another team\u2014you track everything they do in detail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poels brought it up himself: that Giro stage. After the team missed out on a Tour de France wildcard, the chance of riding La Corsa Rosa suddenly feels more realistic. \u201cIf we ride the Giro, then that dream suddenly exists again,\u201d he said. \u201cIf that\u2019s the case, maybe I should push for it once more\u2014because then I would really want to go to the Giro.\u201d To be continued\u2026<\/p>\n