Our feeder teams made quite the impression on the cobbles of northern France.
Last weekend was a busy one for the Soudal Quick-Step youngsters. Our junior and development riders were involved in the two Paris-Roubaix races scheduled on Sunday, when they took on many of the famed cobbled sectors that also the pros tackled later in the day.
Simon Defrance ended up being the top finisher of our U19 squad after an action-packed race, which saw the 17-year-old attack inside the last 20 kilometers in an attempt to join the two leaders, at a moment when various groups were scattered all over the course. Despite his best efforts, Simon finished outside the top ten, only two seconds separating him from what would have been another strong result after the victories he took in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, Nokere Koerse and STER Van Zuid Limburg.
A couple of hours later, Soudal Quick-Step Devo’s Joeri Schaper and Jasper Schoofs finished in the top ten after a spectacular edition of Paris-Roubaix Espoirs. As expected, the key moves came on the legendary Carrefour de l’Arbre, where several riders went clear, building a small gap. Our duo managed to bridge across a couple of kilometers later, and entered the velodrome as part of a nine-man group, which had a small margin over the chasers.
After three and a half tough hours in the saddle, Schaper – who came here after an impressive third in Boucle de l’Artois – still had something left in the legs to finish fourth, just a few centimeters from the podium, while his teammate rolled over the line two places down, making Soudal Quick-Step Devo the only squad to have two riders in the top six Sunday afternoon.
It’s still hard to realize how close I was to the podium.
“Of course, there’s some frustration, but at the same time, I’m proud of the way I rode on Sunday. To fight for the win in a race like Paris-Roubaix means a lot to me. It’s a confidence-boosting result that confirms the strong form that I’ve had in the past couple of weeks”, Joeri said after his fourth place.
Photo credit: ©A.S.O.
