Soudal-Quick Step is happy, but Lampaert also critical of Omloop silver medalist Magnier: "I told him this morning…"

Paul Magnier is just 20 years old, yet he finished second in his very first Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday. The Frenchman was already seen as a potential contender due to his impressive Strava numbers, but delivering on race day is another story. At Soudal-Quick Step, they proudly call it "an incredible sprint," though teammate Yves Lampaert had some mixed feelings while speaking in the Sporza studio.

The experienced Belgian from The Wolfpack was, of course, mainly happy for Magnier, who only had to concede to Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X) in the sprint, but still managed to beat Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Lampaert was full of praise: "I really see a new Boonen in him, though maybe I shouldn’t say that. I rode with Tom, and when you look at Paul’s build and the way he sprints after such a long race… I’m not saying he’s going to match Tom’s palmarès, but we have a lot of confidence in him. I hope he can get a big win this spring."

Yet, there was also some criticism from Lampaert when he rewatched the sprint in the studio. Magnier came with incredible speed but was simply too late to pass the day’s winner. "Phew… This morning in the team bus, I told him that this would be a tricky sprint, so make sure you don’t get boxed in. And now, if you see how fast he still comes at the end…" Lampaert paused for a moment before adding, "But he should enjoy this—finishing second in your first classic is something not many riders achieve."

That Soudal-Quick Step fully backed Paul Magnier and reeled in Stefan Küng in the final wasn’t surprising in the end. The team had complete confidence in the young Frenchman, essentially from early in the finale. "When we got over the Berendries, there was still a big climb ahead, and we knew it would be a headwind from there. It was super difficult to ride aggressively, so we focused on setting up Magnier."

The man himself was grateful—and proud, of course. "The team supported me all day, kept me encouraged, and surrounded me so that I was always in a good position on the key climbs. I tried to save as much energy as possible, and I think we executed well—we can be proud of that."

Still, Magnier admitted to feeling a bit of frustration. It was no coincidence that he slammed his handlebars after the finish. "I was so close, but in the end, it’s still a podium in my first cobbled classic, so I’m happy with this result after such a tough and nervous race. This gives me confidence for the classics—I’ll now focus on Le Samyn, where I hope to fight for another strong result."