Everyone is looking at Magnier for Omloop, but he points to the ‘question mark’ over Van der Poel

In stage 4, Magnier was a class above his rivals once again. That means he already has two victories in the bag in February. “Yes, this is a perfect week for me,” he told Sporza. “As a team we found each other really smoothly in the finale twice, and I also managed to produce a good sprint.”

The field in Portugal was strong, with Belgian rivals Jordi Meeus, Jasper Philipsen and Arnaud De Lie among the biggest threats on paper. They had no answer to Magnier’s power. “It was still difficult not to get boxed in,” he explained. “Because of the headwind, everyone tended to wait for a long time. I didn’t want to wait too long myself — and I was rewarded for that.”

Nice, those Algarve wins. But for Magnier — and plenty of other riders — the most important test comes next weekend. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the opening act of the Classics season, and Magnier finished second there last year. With his form looking even better than in 2025, he is already being tipped as one of the top favourites.

With these legs, he should be able to go a long way, at least. But how does the 21-year-old sprinter view that status himself? “Those two wins obviously mean I’ll start with a lot of confidence,” Magnier said. “But I’m trying to race those Classics without too much pressure, and just give the best version of myself.”

Magnier is not about to shout from the rooftops that he is the man to beat. “Am I the favourite for Omloop? No, I don’t think so. And it also depends on who starts,” he added. “For the moment, there’s still some uncertainty about Mathieu’s participation,” he said, referring to Mathieu van der Poel, who is listed as a provisional starter for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck star has never started Belgium’s traditional season-opener, but if he does show up, he would immediately be among the top favourites. “In any case, I’ll be very motivated,” Magnier said. “I finished last season really strongly, which meant I had a good winter. And now I’ve returned to racing with a lot of motivation.”