🎥 Magical Stuyven lead out left a surprised Magnier in tears

Soudal Quick-Step has long been known as The Wolfpack, but in recent years that tag has sometimes lacked a bit of bite. In this Giro d'Italia, however, Paul Magnier has already won two stages, worn pink, white and purple, and yet nobody saw a stage win in stage 18 on Thursday coming. And yet it did, with plenty of help from a pack of sharp wolves.

That the sprinters were allowed to fight for it in stage 18 was already a surprise. In the third week of a Grand Tour, it is always harder for the fast men to control things, and then the finale also featured a brutally steep wall at almost 12 per cent on average. The teams of explosive riders kept the race under control heading towards the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio.

The pure sprinters in the bunch did survive the 1,100-metre effort, and although a few riders still tried to slip away, Soudal Quick-Step dug in in the closing stages. With help from among others NSN and Lidl-Trek, the final escapees were caught and a sprint followed on a twisty finish.

Jasper Stuyven’s role in that was crucial. Once The Wolfpack had hauled everything back, the Belgian drove on through all the bends at the front, sending Magnier into the last 300 metres with nothing but clear road to the line. He took that gift with both hands. "I did not expect this today, which makes it even more beautiful," he stammered afterwards.

In the end it all looked so smooth, but Magnier admitted that for a long time he had not really had the mindset to go for the win. "I want to thank the team for their confidence, because I did not have it myself. I was dropped on the first climb, but I got my focus back and was brought back. Because of the adrenaline I cannot even really remember the finale".

Still, Magnier knew full well that he owed the win largely to his team-mates. "The team brought everything together and Jasper did a great lead-out. I now have three stage wins, have worn pink and white and have the purple jersey back again. I would never have expected that. I am very proud of that".

Stuyven was proud too. "That was not the plan we had this morning," he laughed to Eurosport. "When Paul got there, we had to position him properly for that last kilometre. We found each other at the right moment. He is riding a great race".

Thursday meant that Stuyven, as the experienced mentor, had to do much more than just a brilliant lead-out. He stressed that after two stage wins in the first week, Magnier had really suffered in the rest of the Giro. The Frenchman was reportedly not quite fully fit for a few days. "That took some pressure off, and that pays off today".

"We had to keep talking to him during the stage, that this could be his day. He had to stay focused," said Stuyven, who got Magnier talking at just the right moment. In the mixed zone, the Frenchman called it "a masterclass". "I had no good day in the heat, but once we came back into the valley, we knew UAE would keep controlling for the purple jersey".

That is exactly what happened, and Magnier profited from the work of Jhonatan Narváez’s team. "I gave everything on that climb. In the sprint, it was important to stay at the front. With 700 metres to go, Jasper came over me and nobody could stop that. I really had no confidence in today, when UAE were controlling the stage. Now I can have confidence in purple too, even for Rome".

And how much it meant was clear from the pictures behind the podium.