The Frenchman is a clear candidate for Rome’s cyclamen jersey: he focused heavily on the Giro and is achieving great results
Born in Texas, he lives in the Grenoble area, he is just 22 years old and started the Giro d’Italia with the clear intention of rewriting the sprint hierarchies. Paul Magnier can do it, yes, because the first two sprints of a grand tour are never won by chance. In Burgas, on Friday, the first sprint had been conditioned by a huge fall 650 meters from the end and therefore in the end only a few were able to compete: in any case Magnier, perfectly piloted by Stuyven, had clearly prevailed. This time in Sofia the race was more compact, with a solution on the line but the same winner, with Milan and Groenewegen forced to surrender. They had already begun to say about Paul Magnier, in unsuspecting times, that the model could be Tom Boonen: for his powerful physique, obviously (187 centimeters tall and 79 kilos), but also for their common belonging to the Quick Step group. It’s a great compliment, because the exploits of the Belgian, capable of winning a World Cup, 3 Flanders, 4 Roubaix and much more, are still alive in everyone’s memory.
not a surprise
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Having started with mountain biking, Magnier somewhat escaped the radar of French teams and under the direction of the Specialized bike brand, which is very strong in off-road, Paul landed at Soudal-Quick Step. This team has a great tradition of trains and sprints, in this sense we must see the market coup that brought in this year Jasper Stuyven, king of Sanremo 2021 who until last year helped Jonathan Milan. Magnier is a surprise up to a certain point, because at the end of last season he had achieved series victories, albeit in less competitive contexts. The classics campaign hadn’t gone well this year, so he turned the page and decided to focus heavily on the Giro d’Italia.
tour of Italy
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At this point, he becomes a clear candidate for Rome’s cyclamen shirt, the same one that Jonathan Milan won in 2023 and 2024 and which he wants back. This one by Sofia could represent a milestone in Magnier’s career, because it is the first in a grand tour achieved in a large group sprint. At the table of the great contemporary sprinters, with Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan himself, there is now one more place: Paul Magnier is preparing to occupy it on a permanent basis.
