Kubis supported by Unibet Tietema Rockets after going through hell in Trouée d'Arenberg, while Stockman enjoyed riding behind van der Poel and Pogacar

Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Mads Pedersen and... Abram Stockman. In that order, the top riders emerged from the dreaded Trouée d'Arenberg—a dream for Stockman, who rode Unibet Tietema Rockets into the spotlight from the early breakaway. Afterward, the Belgian gave a candid, cheerful, and painful interview to IDLProCycling.com due to a crash later in the race.

Selling your soul dearly, as they say. Unibet Tietema Rockets made its debut in one of the five biggest classics in the world in the most iconic Monument, three years after owner Bas himself arrived at the cycling track in northern France. In 2025, the goal was clear: they had to be in the early breakaway and try to participate in the (pre)final, knowing that the real big players would probably make it difficult for them.

Lukas Kubis was the designated man for goal two, but the Slovakian ran into bad luck in the Trouée d'Arenberg and was thus unable to realize his plans. Ultimately, all seven Unibet Tietema Rockets riders finished, with Axel Huens (27th) and Tomas Kopecky (33rd) earning respectable placings. This resulted in a proud message from Bas Tietema via his official channels. "What started out three years ago as a continental team was suddenly a pro continental formation in one of the most intense races of the year."

'We had a clear plan: be visible, race boldly, and embrace the chaos. And that is exactly what we did," said a proud Tietema. "This was intended to make content or memories and show that you can take your place in the peloton with the right people and a clear vision, not as a gimmick but as a team with a mission. We have made history because we have done something that nobody thought possible. And this is just the beginning."

The French/Dutch media team has already produced a gem by capturing the emotions upon arrival and posting them on YouTube on Sunday evening. It's a must-see!

Read more below the video!

Stockman: "Decided not to go full throttle"

Whereas Kubis' race reached its lowest point on the Trouée d'Arenberg, Stockman rode that sector behind the world's greatest cyclists. "How many times will I dream about this? I think a few times, at least,” the Belgian said with a big smile on the Vélodrome. ”I haven't seen the images yet, but I was there in person, and it was very cool. I knew those big guys were coming."

"So I decided not to go full throttle so I could still try to catch up,” he explains. ”I succeeded, and then you hope to stay with them for as long as possible. But those guys are in a different league. I had to push hard when I came out of the forest, and I had to. Otherwise, I would have been dropped."

"A few sectors later, I reached my limit and had to let go," said Stockman, who saw fellow breakaway riders Jonas Rutsch (Intermarché-Wanty) and Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X) ride into the top ten. "At one point, I ended up on the side of the road and crashed. From then on, I knew it would be a long way to Roubaix."

"My wrist is painful, so I might have to check it. Anyway, we made it,” Stockman says. ”We couldn't miss the breakaway, and maybe I wasn't supposed to be at the front, but suddenly, I was. Before I knew it, we had a lead. There was no way back. It was a great day, but we had to go full throttle."

Read also

Tadej Pogacar responds to alternate take on his crash in Roubaix: "It's good that you mention it…"

Younger Pidcock finished dead last one hour after Van der Poel, in Paris-Roubaix: "Van Aert hit me when he fell"

🎥 "Attempted manslaughter," fumed an outraged van der Poel after bidon incident — Belgian fan has footage

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