Our rider finished fourth in one of France’s most important one-day races.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, ADAC Cyclassics, and now, Bretagne Classics. The three prestigious World Tour one-day races where Paul Magnier finished in the top five this season, showcasing both his sprint and remarkable versatility, which at just 21 years of age augur well for the next season.
The most recent of these results came on home soil, at the 89th edition of the Bretagne Classic – a race renowned for its demanding parcours, featuring dozens of hills and more than 4000 meters of climbing. Sunday was full gas from the beginning, and the speed remained the same even after a breakaway formed. The reason for this was that the peloton didn’t like that move, and pushed hard to bring it back. Moments after this happened, a group containing Pascal Eenkhoorn went clear, but this too was a short-lived one despite our rider’s best efforts, and the race remained together with 80 kilometers to go.
Inside the last 20 kilometers, six riders jumped clear and threatened to go all the way to the line, but Soudal Quick-Step chased hard together with other teams and reabsorbed the attackers just ahead of the flamme rouge. In the sprint, despite being closed at one point, Paul Magnier found some space and unleashed his spectacular sprint to take a strong fourth behind winner Arnaud De Lie (Lotto)., becoming the first Frenchman in 16 years to finish top five in Plouay in back-to-back editions.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
