'I hope I can win a Monument' - Magnificent Magnier hungry for more success in future

Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) continued his relentless run of form, with one last victory on the final stage of the Tour of Guangxi on Sunday to round out his 2025 campaign. 

Though it didn’t come easy, as he admitted when he was asked if it was his toughest finish yet, speaking to reporters in Nanning after a tough circuit stage, stating, “Today for sure,” said the 21-year-old.

After being distanced on the final climb inside 20km to the finish, Magnier returned to the front of the peloton as part of a chase group, with enough time to recover and coordinate another winning performance, finishing ahead of Stanisław Aniolkowski (Cofidis) in 2nd, and Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) in 3rd.

For the irrepressible Magnier, it’s his 5th win in six stages, illustrating his current rich vein of form, and he revealed that each win was an added bonus after the all-important victory on the opening day in Fangchenggang.

“I think the first one is the one you enjoy the most. Yeah, I came here with a bit of pressure just on myself. And then when you take the first win, you're like, ‘Yeah, okay. I won one. And now it's only a bonus.’ And then it was a bonus every day, every day and every day,” said Magnier. 

In terms of the bigger picture, Magnier’s exploits in China are a continuation of a prolific period and a perfect example of how winning breeds confidence.

Victory in Nanning marked Magnier’s 19th of the season, the 2nd most of any rider in 2025, just one behind Tadej Pogačar, and the Frenchman reflected on maintaining his winning feeling in China

“It's an amazing feeling. I mean, we came here with a team with a lot of ambition. I was in good form the last two months, so yeah, we wanted to do good,” said Magnier.

“I really didn't expect to be that good, and I think we can be really proud of the Soudal Quick-Step team's job here in China. And, I would like to come next year to do again, a nice job like this,” he added.

Magnier was asked whether he felt like he was heading towards the title of being one of the best sprinters in the world, but the 21-year-old remained philosophical, looking ahead to next season and the prospect of racing more of the biggest races.

“It looks easy on the TV, but it's super hard to always be in the front at the good moment, because we are riding 70K an hour,” said Magnier. “So if you go too early or too late, it can be sprint done. I'm super happy to find every day the timing and, yeah, I'm excited to race next year with a bigger level and see what I can do.”

With already 24 professional wins in the Frenchman’s pocket, Magnier isn’t about to take his foot off the gas, revealing his ambitions to win in the biggest races, when asked if he had achieved his objectives that he set at the start of the year.

“No, for sure, I started the year with good, big goals. I was already super happy to finish second in Omloop. And then, it was a bit harder on the classics,” said Magnier. “Next year I hope I can do even a bit better. But I let the steps go slowly, going step by step. And then, I hope in my career I can win a Monument or a big classic.”