'We're going to be competitive' – Soudal-QuickStep look to get off the mark for 2026 in Algarve

The departure of Remco Evenepoel from Soudal-QuickStep in the winter gave the team a moment to pause and outline a new path for 2026, where their ambition is to return to their roots by placing a renewed emphasis on the Classics. 

Even with Evenepoel on board, there was still plenty of room for Paul Magnier to shine last year, with the 21-year-old sprinting to victory on 19 occasions, a tally bettered only by world champion Tadej Pogačar. Magnier ended the season in red-hot form with 14 victories in his last 18 race days. 

A win record like this makes it easy to overlook Magnier's age and the fact that he is setting out into only his third season with Soudal Quick-Step and at WorldTour level. Magnier’s further development is an exciting prospect for the Belgian team, and the Frenchman will spearhead Soudal-QuickStep’s Classic tilt in 2026.

Magnier began this season by sprinting to second place at the Clássica Comunitat Valenciana behind Dylan Groenewegen, but he’ll have a chance to get back to winning ways at the Volta ao Algarve, which kicks off on February 18.

There are two stages for the sprinters to make their mark on the race, with likely bunch sprints on the cards in the shape of the opening stage in Tavira, and the fourth and penultimate stage in Lagos. 

The race should serve as a good test for Magnier, who will face stiff competition from the likes of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché).

On the eve of the race, Domestique spoke to Soudal-QuickStep sports director Tom Steels, a former stage winner in the Algarve himself, about Magnier’s shape.

“All good, I think, he trained well, he’s in shape,” Steels told. “Every year there are two nice bunch sprints, let’s see how he goes.”

The team are still seeking their first win of 2026, and they have plenty more to fight for beyond the two sprint stages with Magnier, with the individual time trial on stage 3 a big opportunity for both the stage and the GC.

Yves Lampaert, Magnier, Maximilian Schachmann, Jasper Stuyven, Dylan van Baarle, Dries Van Gestel, and Jonathan Vervenne feature in Portugal, and the majority are likely to make up the team’s composition for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in less than two weeks' time. 

Steels feels like solid progression is being made ahead of Opening Weekend. “I think some of them came from altitude, it’s always good or bad, but I think they are going to be quite okay,” said Steels. “The other ones did Valencia, so I also think they are going to be okay.

“We’re going to be competitive as a whole, we have [Dylan] van Baarle here for the TT, [Maximilian] Schachmann here for the GC and TT, so we will see how we are against the competition.”

Schachmann has been a consistent performer at this race over the years, finishing seventh in 2018, second in 2020, and fifth last year. 

Steels highlighted the German’s familiarity with the race and consistency at this stage of the season, as strong factors that could support another strong GC performance from the German.

“The time trial suits Schachmann, and the distance is good for him. Fóia and Malhão are two climbs he already knows. He has performed well a lot here, and he’s always in good shape pretty early in the season.”