Paul Magnier: “I look forward to the upcoming cobbled Classics”

The Frenchman talked about the strong results he racked up since the start of the season, skipping Milano-Sanremo and being at the start of Gent-Wevelgem.

“Overall, the first four weeks of the year have been good for me, despite some setbacks recently. To win on my first outing of the season, just like last year, was important to me. I really wanted to be there in the final of the Étoile de Bessèges opening stage; I know I’m quite fast in a bunch sprint, but I also love these short efforts and that uphill finish in Bellegarde suited me. The team put me in the best position possible and I got that victory that I wanted so much, which was good for the morale after a solid winter. The fact that I continued to be on the podium in the next races, in France and Portugal, gave me a lot of confidence for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

I had no idea how I would perform there, as it was going to be the biggest race in my career so far. I don’t have a lot of experience on the cobbles, but I knew it suited me. We did a recon in the days before the race and tested the material of Specialized, and I felt good there and excited to be there for this important classic.

We had a strong team for Omloop and thanks to their work I was in the first positions going into the Molenberg. Muur-Kapelmuur was a very difficult climb, but I did everything to be there with the best and managed to be with the main group after the top. Our team did a great job to nullify the late attacks, and I did my best in the sprint, but I made a small mistake to be on the inside just as the sprint started, which meant I was a bit blocked. Nevertheless, it was a good result, something I wouldn’t have imagined before the start. Then Samyn came, and with it, another runner-up spot, behind one of my idols, which made me proud.

From Belgium I travelled to Italy for Tirreno-Adriatico, which was a hard race, with long stages and long transfers, that made it difficult to recover. I felt a bit tired there, but in the end, it was all part of the learning curve. I know that I need to improve my recovery in order to progress. It’s a pity that I crashed twice on the final stage, that was a setback, and after discussing with the team, we decided together that I needed to rest a bit instead of going to Milano-Sanremo.

I’m happy I could spend some days at home to recover before traveling back to Belgium. I look forward to starting Gent-Wevelgem, a prestigious Classic where we want to go for a good result, then Dwars door Vlaanderen. I hope to feel good there and feature in the finale. But the most important thing is that I will tackle these races without any pressure, just with the desire to give my best and help the team fight for good results.”

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