Stuyven pushed to limit for Roubaix podium: 'I had Glasgow vibes, I had no idea how I would make it'

Jasper Stuyven is already a Monument winner, having soloed to glory on the Via Roma at Milan-Sanremo in 2021. However, a third-place finish at Paris-Roubaix in his debut season with Soudal Quick-Step marked a significant moment in the career of the Belgian.

Stuyven had been close to a Paris-Roubaix podium in the past, finishing fourth in 2017 and fifth in 2018. After taking sixth at the Tour of Flanders last week, the ever-reliable Stuyven felt confident coming into the Hell of the North.

“Honestly, I'm quite proud of this podium. I think I've always been close to podiums or to fighting, but then of course with those super talents it's only become harder to get a big result,” Stuyven told CyclingProNet.

"I’ve been up there the past weeks, and I kept believing that a podium was possible, and I think today I rode a good race. I didn't have any bad luck, and it's nice to take that third place,” said Stuyven.

When the race kicked off on the Trouée d’Arenberg, and Mathieu van der Poel suffered a double puncture, Stuyven found himself in the right place and made the front selection. 

Tadej Pogačar was present in the group, having suffered his own mechanical problems earlier, and the World Champion was driving the pace. However, Pogačar would shortly suffer another mechanical of his own, leading to the period where the pace was slightly dulled he chased back on, and this moment helped Stuvyen, who was already feeling the pace.

“Yeah, I think it might have saved me a bit that Pogi had a flat tyre the second time because he really put me on the limit on the sectors before,” Stuyven said.

Given the relentlessness of the action, Stuyven drew comparisons to the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow, where the big stars also all came head-to-head and made the race hellish for the competition.

“But yeah, they made the race very hard, and I had a bit of Glasgow vibes where with 60k to go, I was so on the limit that I had no idea how I would make it to the line,” said Stuyven.

It’s an important moment for Soudal Quick-Step as it marks their first podium finish at Paris-Roubaix since 2019, when Philippe Gilbert claimed victory and Yves Lampaert placed third. 

With the team shifting back to their Classics roots for 2026 following Remco Evenepoel’s departure, the support and belief from the team car to get their best result of the Spring helped drive the Belgian to the finish.

“I was a bit afraid that I would hit the wall every sector, but then I think everyone got tired and I also could feel that I had better and worse moments on the cobbles,” said Stuyven. “Also from the car, they told me to keep believing and that everyone was on the limit, and that kept me believing to fight for the podium.”

Stuyven found the resources to power clear inside the final kilometres on the run-in to the velodrome, enough to secure him the podium finish, though he was right at his limit.

“The moment you accelerate and go back in the saddle, you almost regret it, because the pain is coming in the legs. But of course I wanted to keep pushing to not let that podium slip away again,” said Stuyven.