He doesn’t even need to get out of the saddle: Magnier storms to win number 4 in China and 18th of the season

The Tour of Guangxi has been Paul Magnier's autumn party so far. The Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step won the first three stages, extending his winning streak from September and October to 12. However, stage 4 would prove to be a little more difficult for the sprinter, as there were around 2,500 meters of climbing on the course—a hilly stage, and therefore an opportunity for the attackers.

A strong group of six riders decided to break away on the first climb of the day, after about 10 kilometers. They included Stan Dewulf (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Logan Currie (Lotto), Michael Valgren (EF Education - EasyPost), Michael Leonard (INEOS Grenadiers), Juan Pedro López (Lidl-Trek), and mountain jersey wearer Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). It was a strong group that posed a significant challenge to the sprinter teams.

They gained just over 4 minutes, but towards the end of the race, it was Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe who set the pace. At around 35 kilometers, there was a nasty climb of about 4 kilometers, which could serve as a true test. Here, the real sprinters had to be dropped. No wonder then that the leaders saw their lead disappear into thin air. López was the first to be dropped, but the remaining five fought on in vain.

The Red Bull men received help from UAE Team Emirates - XRG, which led to several riders being dropped. Not enough, because Magnier was still there. At the front, more and more leaders dropped back, but Dewulf kept pedaling steadily. The Belgian was close in the rankings and wanted to survive until the last intermediate sprint. That didn't work out: Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) won the sprint.

It was then only 10 kilometers to the finish. Niklas Behrens (Visma | Lease a Bike) tried to take advantage and jumped away from the peloton, setting a fast pace. His teammates did a good job of disrupting the chase, but Soudal Quick-Step did not let themselves be pushed around: 5 kilometers from the finish, the German was caught again.

So we went sprinting again. Was anyone able to beat Magnier? Jayco-AlUla thought so: they went for Max Walscheid, but when Magnier attacked on the slightly downhill section, no one could match his speed. Pavel Bittner finished second, ahead of Jordi Meeus.