Second for Jake Stewart after Dunkerque’s day on the pavé

Jake Stewart equaled his best result of the 2025 season as he sprinted to second place in stage 3 of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque on Friday.

Stewart led the peloton across the line to take second place as the group came agonisingly close to catching breakaway rider Pierre Gautherat (DAT), who launched his race-winning move approaching the flamme rouge.

The British rider, who also finished second in the final stage of February’s Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, looked strong throughout the 154.2-kilometer stage between Valenciennes and Famars, which featured 22.2 kilometers of pavé.

“I’m really happy with the sensations, but it’s a bit frustrating to win the bunch kick when there’s one guy in front,” says the 25-year-old. “But I’m happy with how the legs are, it’s all about building for the Tour, so there’s still some more to come.”

IPT was active throughout the stage, with both German Michael Schwarzmann and home rider Matîs Louvel placing themselves in breakaway groups in the second half of the race.

“It was a pretty hectic day – three-and-a-half hours of racing, first cobbles after six kilometres, so it was a big day of concentration and making sure to race from the front,” adds Stewart.

“The boys did a really good job positioning in the final cobbled sector, as we knew that was going to be pretty important. Riley [Sheehan] followed the key guys on the last kicker with around three kilometers to go to keep his GC hopes alive in case they moved there, then Matîs did a great job moving me up coming off the cobbled sector.

“Unfortunately, that guy just nipped off the front. The boys – PA [Pier-André Côté] and Louvel – committed from behind, but it was too late at the finish. He was just a bit too strong to bring him back.”

Today’s result moves him up four places to eighth overall with two stages remaining. Stewart sits eight seconds off the race lead, but only four seconds off the podium, going into Saturday’s crucial GC stage to Cassel.

Stewart adds: “It’s a really big GC day tomorrow – it has been the stage that has decided the race in previous years. I was third in it in 2022, which put me on the podium on GC, although tomorrow’s parcours is a bit harder. If the legs are good, it should be a stage that I should be able to survive. We can play it by ear with Riley and me, but we’ve got a strong team here to give ourselves the best opportunity for the GC.”