Top talent Magnier made deliberate choice ahead of Giro d’Italia: "And I think it was definitely the right one"
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Follow us on GooglePaul Magnier will start his first Grand Tour on Friday in Albania. The Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step is widely regarded as a rising star, and he lines up at the Giro d’Italia with that reputation — though Magnier himself is the first to temper expectations a little bit. “I’m mainly looking forward to seeing what a Grand Tour is like and what I can achieve in one,” he told IDLProCycling.com.
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We spoke to Magnier at Eschborn–Frankfurt, where he had already lowered expectations beforehand. “It’s the first truly warm day of the year, and we’re racing on a tough course. We’ll see if I can make something happen.” In the end, Soudal Quick-Step went for it with Maximilian Schachmann, and Magnier rolled across the line in 91st, second to last.
Frankfurt was Magnier’s final test before the Giro d’Italia, which marks his first-ever three-week stage race. “I’m really excited. First, I recovered well from the Classics, and then I was able to prepare perfectly for the Giro at home. We have a strong team, with Mikel Landa going for the GC and plenty of experienced guys,” said the Frenchman.
Magnier deliberately chose to prepare for the Giro in France. “I didn’t go to altitude, because I believe that we already spent enough time at training camps in the winter and ahead of the Classics. I wanted to train at home, also because mental recovery is very important. And I think that was definitely the right choice. I feel good and I’m mainly looking forward to seeing what a Grand Tour is like and what I can achieve in one.”
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Magnier's spring breakthrough: "Went according to plan"
Before the spring season, Magnier was widely seen as a rider on the brink of a breakthrough — and he delivered. He won a stage in Étoile de Bessèges, and finished second in the Figueira Champions Classic, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and Le Samyn, before his momentum stalled. “At Tirreno, I got a bit sick, due to the cold and harsh conditions.” In the final stage of that race, he crashed twice, which forced him to miss Milan–San Remo.
“All in all, I still look back on the Classics campaign with pride,” said Magnier, who has already extended his contract with Soudal Quick-Step through 2027. “The Classics actually went according to plan. Our plan was to be in form when the top riders weren’t quite there yet, so I could already show myself in the early races. And I think that worked.”
He also rode his first long races, like the Tour of Flanders, and his first major stage races, like Tirreno-Adriatico. “In terms of endurance and form, I feel I’ve gotten stronger, but I can still improve in terms of intensity. Maybe that’ll come during the Giro, so I’m not stressing about it.”
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Magnier has fond memories of Baby Giro
While Landa is aiming for the GC, Magnier will be focusing on the sprints and some hillier stages. “My lead-out includes Ethan Hayter and Luke Lamperti. They’re fast, strong guys, so I’m really happy with that,” says Magnier.
With that train, he’ll face opponents like Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen, who he might already encounter on stage one, a tough day with a flat finish in Tirana — where the maglia rosa awaits the first day’s winner. “The competition is really strong, but it’s something I have to try. Last year I wore the pink jersey in the Baby Giro, and I’d love to wear it one day in the ‘real’ Giro. If not this year, then another time.”
Magnier also won the points classification in that Baby Giro, but that’s not yet the main goal in this Giro d’Italia. Still just 21 years old, he has other goals later in the season. “Whether I finish the Giro, we don’t know yet. That partly depends on how things go, especially because the final week is very tough. We’ll decide that when the time comes.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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