From YouTube to the Giro d’Italia: How the Unibet Rose Rockets prepared for their debut Grand Tour

The only things brighter than Dylan Groenewegen’s pink and blue sleeves are the blinking camera lights around him, all videographers belonging to his Unibet Rose Rockets team. Footage will be transferred to remote editors — then clipped, enhanced, storyboarded, and soundtracked — before going live on YouTube by late that evening. Groenewegen, meanwhile, rolling off in search of the pink jersey, has his own work to carry out. Seven years ago, the team’s founders had only just posted their first videos on YouTube, fun cycling-themed skits and challenges. Now, after what began as a Covid-19 pipedream, they are at the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria, with both their own professional squad and over half a million cross-platform subscribers, competing in one of the world’s most prestigious races. This is stage one of the Giro d’Italia — the Unibet Rose Rockets’ first ever participation in a Grand Tour. Their goal is to win a stage, and this first day — an afternoon for the sprinters from Nessebar to Burgas — is the shot at history they have targeted. No team has won their first ever stage in a Grand Tour this century. “Cycling is the perfect vehicle for stories. I think that
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