A grueling day on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix concluded a decidedly disappointing spring campaign for Sourdal-Quick Step, a team with a long history on this course.

Tim Merlier and Yves Lampère finished a team-best 23rd and 24th in the 5.5-hour race on the Roubaix velodrome.

Incidentally, Mellier, who won the Nocelle Coase, and Lampaert, who finished third in the E3 Saxo Classic, earned the team's best results of the cobbled season. However, Quick-Step's worst result since 2011 in Paris-Roubaix ended its time on cobblestones without a big win for the first time since the 2013 blanks.

After the race, Lampère summed up the misfortunes that befell his teammates during the 256-km ordeal.

"After two cobbled sectors, there were still two guys left in the race," he told Het Nieuwsblad (open in new tab) at the velodrome. Davide Ballerini and Bert van Lerberghe crashed, Asgreen's bike broke, Seneschal got a flat tire, and Tim DeClercq had a miserable time with his chain."

"Both front and rear got punctures in [Sector 7] Sisoing a Bourgel."

Lampert and Merlier were able to avoid the bad luck that struck their teammates earlier in the day, but they were not in the lead when the leading contenders, led by Wout Van Aert, took off at Havelui a Wallers before Allenberg.

"In the end, we had a good group of riders, but none that could make a difference," Lampert concluded.

Outside the team bus by the velodrome, Soudal-Quick Step boss Patrick Lefebvre summed up the day.

The veteran, who has seen his team win 62 cobbled classics over the past two decades, said "that's an understatement" when it was pointed out that the 2023 campaign was not good enough.

"Merlier and Lampert were a little bit behind at Wallers. Then a Bahraini rider fell off the bike and the whole group got caught up in it. That's when you know it's over."

Lefebvre noted that the team has had a number of successes so far this season, including a UAE Tour win for Lemco Evenpoel and a stage win at Volta a Catalunya. However, he told Cycling News that he would trade some of those wins for a podium in Roubaix.

"I've won 20 races this year," Lefebvre said, and as is his custom, he included the Sourdal-Quick-Step-Devo team's 0.1-level win (by Ethan Vernon at this year's Tour de Rwanda) in his win count. 'But, yes,' he said, 'I'm not sure I'll be able to do that. But we don't have that option."

"I certainly won't be cheering today, but I hope the best is yet to come."

Once again, Belgian eyes will be on the world champion and the Ardennes - after all, Quick Step's classic season was "saved" last year by his solo victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. After a challenging month in Flanders and northern France, the Ardennes awaits.