Soudal-QuickStep fastidiously prevented naming Paul Magnier as a workforce chief for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad however contained in the workforce and contained in the peloton, the 20-year-old French rider is taken into account a potential winner and future Classics champion.
“Can I win the Omloop this weekend? Why not?” Magnier informed Het Nieuwsblad on Wednesday, after doing a primary recon experience of the Omloop course along with his teammates.
Magnier‘s phrases had been extra than simply youthful bravado. He’s naturally assured and massively gifted.
“It is necessary to be assured in your self,” Manier informed Cyclingnews in an unique interview earlier this yr.
“You should not be over assured however it’s necessary to consider in your workforce and to consider in your self. I really feel actually good at Soudal-QuickStep, my type is sweet and my ethical is sweet, so I am simply ready for the primary huge races.”
Magnier appears to be taking all of the expectation in his stride and calmly shrugs off the thought of being one of many subsequent ‘tremendous abilities’ of the game.
“I want to not actually take into consideration that. I want to concentrate on my my very own improvement,” he mentioned. “I believe its actually necessary to take pleasure in every little thing and to be joyful, on the bike and off the bike, at residence with your loved ones and buddies. The workforce has taught me the significance of that.
The newest race content material, interviews, options, opinions and skilled shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
“I do know I am going to have some good occasions with the workforce. I did actually good season final yr. I hope I can do even higher this yr however there isn’t any strain. I hope my profession will final 15 years and my success will come when it comes.”
Magnier gained three levels on the Tour of Britain final yr earlier than crashing out and struggling critical concussion. He reportedly additionally wanted 36 stitches in accidents throughout his ankle, hip and knee.
“I don’t keep in mind something about it. It’s a giant black gap in my thoughts,” Magnier defined. “However the medical doctors had been very cautious with me afterwards. I stayed off the bike for a very long time and began to construct it up once more very slowly.”
One in every of Magnier’s youthful abilities is a capability to get well and be taught rapidly. He gained his first race with Soudal-QuickStep in 2024 and once more this yr, when he gained the stage 1 uphill end of the troubled Étoile de Bessèges. He additionally gained the dash for second place on the Figueira Champions Basic final weekend. He’s quick however can survive on climbs and has a six sense for racing.
He’s racing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for the primary time however competed on mountain bikes when with the Trinity Racing improvement workforce in 2023. On the highway finally yr’s Dwars door Vlaanderen he was thirty ninth.
He has added muscle and energy through the winter and gone face to face with Tim Merlier in coaching sprints, profitable a few of them. His enormous energy output and close to 2000-watt peak has sparked reward from Mathieu van der Poel.
The brand new Tom Boonen
Magnier will solely flip 21 on April however by then he might have develop into Soudal-QuickStep’s subsequent huge Classics rider.
“I see the brand new Tom Boonen in him,” directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters informed Het Nieuwsblad, earlier than he and the workforce tempered their phrases.
“He’s a brilliant good man,” workforce coach Klaas Lodewyck mentioned. “I evaluate him a bit to Jasper Philipsen: he’s additionally somebody who is aware of precisely what he desires, however who might additionally neglect his sneakers within the meantime. Paul is a bit the identical.
“It is like he has two personalities. On the one hand he is actually calm and chill however within the race he is a killer. We’ll see some critical punches from him if this development continues.”
Magnier’s race programme contains subsequent Tuesday’s Le Samyn on the cobbles, Milan-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen.
“I would not be ‘shocked’ if he had been already using within the finals,” teammate Bert Van Lerberghe informed Het Nieuwsblad.
“I do not see why not. I actually consider that. Paul is the long run and the long run can come rapidly. There will not be fifteen people who experience up the highway on Saturday with out him.
“If you’re a quick finisher, you needn’t drop everyone to win,” he mentioned.
“I can keep in a small group and possibly struggle for the victory. However you continue to have to be in that small group, so you continue to have to be robust within the Classics. You’ll want to be sensible and save the legs, however I am in the best workforce to be taught rapidly.”
Magnier appears to have every little thing besides the expertise of racing in Belgium. On Saturday he can rely the help and recommendation of Yves Lampaert, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Gil Gelders, Casper Pedersen, Dries Van Gestel and Pepijn Reinderink, who’s a late alternative for Mattia Cattaneo, not racing on account of illness. Magnier can even race Sunday’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in help of Merlier but in addition as a potential various chief.
He travelled to Belgium firstly of the week and skilled on the cobbled lanes of Fanders on Tuesday earlier than the official Omloop Het Nieuwsblad recon experience with Remco Evenepoel and different coaching rides in the previous few days.
“Omloop might be a tough race and it is also my first time. So I’ve to race sensible and save vitality for a potential dash end,” he informed VTM after the recon.
“I would by no means seen the route earlier than. It is full of corners, pinch factors and maybe sectors within the wind. It’s going to be necessary to race nicely as a workforce.
“I am going to quickly discover out what I can do. My legs are good, now we’ll quickly discover out what occurs within the race.”
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for limitless entry to our 2025 Spring Classics protection. Do not miss any of the breaking information, stories, and evaluation from all of the Cobbled Classics from Opening Weekend to Paris-Roubaix. Discover out extra.
