'If you like it, then why would you stop?' – Approaching his 40s, Wout Poels continues into 19th and final pro season with Unibet Rose Rockets in 2027

Wout Poels will continue racing into his 19th season as a professional in 2027 with Unibet Rose Rockets, the French-registered ProTeam confirmed on Friday.

The 39-year-old joined the Rockets at the start of 2026, and after maintaining his love of training and racing, particularly at the Giro d’Italia – the team’s first and his 26th Grand Tour – and his high levels of performance, Poels didn’t want to hang up his wheels just yet.

Born out of a YouTube channel and owned by Bas Tietema, Josse Wester, and Devin van der Wiel, the Rockets are approaching their fifth season in the pro peloton, with Poels part of a 26-rider roster that also includes Dylan Groenewegen. In 2027, they will look to secure invites to the Giro and a first Tour de France.

Poels’ extension was confirmed in an accompanying video featuring him and Tietema at the former’s fan club cafe in his home village of Blitterswijck, where the pair discussed plans for 2027 and played darts.

“Now I have to say, because of the Giro, it triggered a little bit more. It was a really nice three weeks and a really, really good level,” said Poels.

“The most important thing is that I really like to do it. I like to train. I like to race. I like to do training camps. If you like it, then why would you stop? And the level is still there. That’s the most important one.

“I imagine if I would have really did shit in the Giro and you get all the time dropped, you never go in a break, you never make a result, then I think I would not continue. I also like to be in the mix to do results, but even at a small race like Sibiu Tour, I was fourth in the GC and then second in the mountain stage – it’s not the biggest race, but I still enjoy to race and get a result.”

Poels will turn 40 on October 1 next, and while this is supposed to be his final year of racing, he still didn't rule out potentially keeping going into a 20th year.

"Is this really the last one?" asked Tietema. "Normally, yes… The door is always a little bit open," said Poels.

A former Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner, Tour de France stage winner, and Vuelta a España stage winner, Poels isn't landing the same calibre of results he was in his prime years at Team Sky and Bahrain Victorious, but he's still been able to land several impressive top 10s for the Rockets.

Poels finished in the top 10 of two stages at the Giro, including on the brutal mountain day to Pila on stage 14, where he was eighth and only lost out to the top GC favourites. He also finished fourth on GC at the Sibiu Tour in Romania, and seventh overall at the Arctic Race of Norway.

"The Giro; that's the highest level of the WorldTour, and it's really nice to perform there, especially on the mountain days to do top ten there from the peloton, that gives me a really good feeling," he said.

"OK, for me, I did, I think, 26 Grand Tours. But then I really come to my best after one week of racing, and I still feel that I get less fatigue.

"The WorldTour teams and Pro Teams, just to be in the top ten is always really high level. If you really want to perform there, then you need to be 100% ready."

But it's exactly that process which the Dutchman is still enjoying, having trained at altitude for the Giro this past season. Not only can he operate as a climbing leader, but Poels – as one of the most iconic super domestiques of the Team Sky era – is one of the most valuable riders for the Rockets' young talents to learn from.

For now, his win tally reads the same as his Grand Tour appearances at 26, but he's looking to bump them both up to at least 27 in 2027. It would maintain a run of winning a race on every team he's raced for as a pro, and a streak of starting a Grand Tour in every season that extends back to 2011 when he was on Vacansoleil-DCM – this was the season when he finished second atop the Alto l'Angliru behind Juan Jose Cobo at the Vuelta.

"I really would like to win a race for the team because I didn't do that last year. I was close to it, but I didn't do it," said Poels.

"That would be really nice, also for myself, just for my stats to say that I won a race in every team. But I just want to approach it like last year; have a good time, go to some nice races, perform well, try to do good GCs, just make good results. That's what I like to do."

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