This winter, Unibet Tietema Rockets increased its roster from 21 to 25 riders. Lukas Kubis, the best non-pro at the Paris Olympics and the European Championships in Belgian Limburg last season, is an impressive signing. IDLProCycling.com introduces you to the very friendly Slovak.
Kubis, 24, has shown himself over the past six seasons, mainly on the Eastern European circuit. Initially, the Slovakian rode with Dukla Banska Bystrica for five seasons, eventually ending up with Unibet Tietema Rockets via Elkov—Kasper for 2025. There, he hopes to take the next step.
Kubis has achieved good results in Eastern Europe and certainly in Africa, but he has also shown himself in the Tour de l'Avenir, for example. Last spring, he achieved numerous successes, after which Bas Tietema seized the opportunity. That Kubis finally confirmed by becoming the best non-pro at both the European Championships (14th) and the Games (29th) only meant extra confirmation for the scouting department of the Unibet Tietema Rockets. Kubis, who speaks very good English, is therefore very grateful to them.
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How was your offseason?
"I rested for a bit and then went on vacation with some friends. I had a lot of fun, but now I am super focused on the coming season and the races I will enter. It will be my first year as a pro, so I'm looking forward to it."
How did you get in touch with Unibet Tietema Rockets?
"It must have been in April or May. Bas contacted me, and from then on, you automatically arrive at contract talks and the like."
What was your first impression of the team when Bas contacted you?
"It was the first professional team to contact me. Other teams came later, but I already knew Tietema. Adam Toupalik also moved to this team from Elkov, so I was already watching it on YouTube. And I have to say: I think what those guys are doing is incredibly cool. As a cyclist, it's interesting to see how they communicate this to non-cycling fans."
And suddenly you were in the middle of that...
"At the first meeting with the team in November, the kick-off was super for me. I was there as a new guy, with sixty new people and names around me. But it certainly wasn't awkward because everyone was so charming. Everyone was asking me things and talking to each other, and I liked that vibe. It's different from other teams."
Do you know all the names now?
"Definitely."
After they contacted you in April/May, you also showed up at the highest level: the European Championships, where you finished 14th, and the Olympics, where you finished 29th.
"The real contract doesn't come until early August, so we were still in talks. But of course, the Olympics was the biggest competition of the year for me. And it was already my second one. The first one, in Tokyo, was quite an experience, but now in Paris, it was amazing. My form was much better, and I gave it my all."
Can you tell me something about your background? Where are you from, and how did you get into road cycling?
"When I started doing sports, I did mostly athletics. The 1000 meters, but then I'm talking about elementary school. When I was 13 or 14, I started cross-country skiing. On a semi-professional level because I also combined it with school. My oldest brother started cycling at the time due to some knee problems, and I joined him on a mountain bike one day."
"And that was just in the period of the great Peter Sagan. I turned out to have a talent for it, so I ended up with a junior team, but honestly, I got a road bike and put it in the garage for a year. For me, it was mostly about mountain biking. And now I'm sitting here as a professional road cyclist, haha!"
And for a good reason, because there are some nice results from last year.
"We had to perform well because, in Slovakia, we had a kind of competition within the competition. Many guys wanted to ride the Olympic road race, and I was one of them. So, I tried to get great results and reach that Olympic selection."
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But doesn't that also show how all-around you are?
"That's right. Boy Sanders, my new trainer here with the team, asked me: what type of rider are you? I can go uphill and finish strong if I'm in good shape. Last year, I was able to improve, especially uphill. I'm not a real climber, but after a tough race, it helps if you have something left in your legs to sprint at all."
What kind of rider does Unibet Tietema Rockets want you to become?
"I'm in the group for the classics right now. That suits me well, so I'm pleased with that, too. I'm not as fast as a Jasper Philipsen, for sure. However, in a group of forty, I can get on well. But with my bike skills, I could be a good lead-out. So we will try that too, for example, Davide Bomboi."
How much more can you progress?
"Last year, I focused mainly on my endurance. I did a lot of racing, and we only added some intensity before the Olympics. I had my best form there, so I think I can apply that a little more next season."
What are your goals?
"I want to become a Slovakian champion again, which seems like a nice goal. Furthermore, I would like to be part of the team for some big races we will ride, but I have to work hard for that. And if that includes a nice result here and there, that's a good thing."
"The classics seem cool to ride. Last year, there were cobblestones during the European Championships, and I was constantly in the first ten. Then I glanced beside me and saw Mathieu van der Poel riding there. I thought my legs still felt pretty good, haha. So the cobblestones must suit me."
And your long-term ambitions? Dreams are allowed.
"When I spoke with Julia (Soek, ed.) about my transfer, she told me that the team would like to attend the Tour de France. So that is also my dream, but it is not my current goal. I am very excited about that. The Tour is my big dream. It is the toughest race but also by far the most well-known. You can compare it to soccer: everyone wants to play the Champions League or the World Cup."
How is the Tour currently viewed in Slovakia, in the post-Peter Sagan period?
"As a first-year junior, there were twenty of us, but now there are forty or fifty. That's the Sagan effect. So the sport is faring better than, say, ten years ago. Also, thanks to the federation, they are putting more and more money and effort into it."
You are the Slovak champion and did well for your country at the Olympics and the European Championships. What is people's perception of you?
"I am the best Slovak rider in the UCI Ranking, but I am no Peter Sagan. I have a good name in my home country, and people know me. My brother bought a new car the other day and went to the office to arrange everything. There, he put his ID with 'Peter Kubis' written on it on the counter, and then the officer looked at him and said: 'Are you a Kubis? Lukas Kubis? My brother laughed and said I was his little brother. Sometimes, it goes like that, even when I stop somewhere for a coffee or something."
How do you experience the culture at Unibet Tietema Rockets, since the Dutch, for example, are occasionally perceived as very direct?
"I like that very much. In Slovakia, people tend to beat around the bush. When I joined the team and everyone approached me, I immediately thought: it's not like that in my home country. It wasn't something new, but I think it's cool that people want to help each other like that. Honestly, I feel at home."