Magnier offers Soudal-QuickStep glimpse of life after Evenepoel

When Paul Magnier flashed across the finish line in Cieszyn to win stage 4 of the Tour de Pologne, a piercing scream of elation stood out above the warm applause that rippled along Plac Wolności. A genteel town on the Polish-Czech border didn’t seem an obvious outpost for a branch of the Paul Magnier fan club, but the mystery was easily solved.

“My parents are here. They’ve followed the whole race in the camper, and that gave me an extra push,” Magnier smiled after he descended from the podium to be embraced by a proud mère et père. “I’m really happy and proud to take the victory in front of them.”

Magnier is only in his second season as a professional, but this was already his tenth victory. Then again, it was always clear that he was a quick learner. He won his very first race in Soudal-QuickStep colours at the Trofeo Ses Salines-Felanitx last year and then added a hat-trick of wins at the Tour of Britain.

The Frenchman has shone this season, too, most notably with second place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. He netted three wins on Belgian roads in a purple patch in June, and now he has racked up the first WorldTour victory of his career.

“I did a lot of second places already, including in the first stage, and I really wanted to do better today,” said Magnier. As befits a quick learner in this game, he deftly shoehorned a shout-out to his sponsors into his answers in the media scrum in the mixed zone. “Today, with a special jersey, T-Rex QuickStep, I made it, so I’m really happy about the team and also my performance.” 

On Monday, Magnier was overpowered by Olav Kooij in Legnica, but the slightly uphill finishing straight played to his strengths. He made his effort from distance and quickly opened a winning gap over Ben Turner (Ineos).

“I think this is the kind of finish which suits me the best. I’m really explosive and I can really get some nice speed on the uphill finish,” said Magnier, who also proved adept on a twisting, technical finishing circuit that was liberally sprinkled with traffic islands and cobbles. Then again, a man with dreams of the Flemish Classics would expect to thrive on a finale like this.

“This is what suits me the best, it was really like a Classics race in the final,” Magnier said, before continuing his streak as a sponsor’s dream. “I’m very good on positioning and on the bike with the cobbles. I also think we have a super nice set-up with Specialized for these types of races and finish, so I’m really proud to get the victory with the team.

“It was a really tough stage today with some climbs in the middle where I suffered a bit, but I was quite confident that I could do a good result. I kept on pushing, and then on the final circuit, I had a really good position all the time. It helped me save energy for the final sprint, and in the last 300m, I really had super legs.”

Magnier might be able to eke out another victory in Zakopane on Friday, but whatever happens this week, the 21-year-old will have ample opportunity to shine between here and the end of the season, with the Renewi Tour, the Bretagne Classic and possibly the Tour of Guangxi on his programme.

“I think it’s my fifth victory this year,” he said. “I would like to get even more before the end of the season.”

The headlines this week have been dominated by the resolution of the Remco Evenepoel transfer saga, with the Olympic champion confirming he will leave Soudal-QuickStep for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe at season’s end.

Evenepoel’s departure marks the end of an era for Soudal-QuickStep, but it will also spark an inevitable overhaul of the team and, one imagines, a renewed emphasis on its old fiefdom, the cobbled Classics. Jasper Stuyven has joined the team to that end, and it’s clear that Magnier, too, is a key element in that thinking.

“If it’s a change for the team, we will see. For the moment, I think he had different goals with a different team,” Magnier said of Evenepoel.

“For me, it will not change too much. I’m really focused on the Classics. We have some new big transfers coming, and with Tim Merlier too, we’re really focused on the Classics. I’m sure the team will find a way to get some nice victories with other riders.”