Just two years ago, the name Paul Magnier was first mentioned in the media. At the age of 20, the Frenchman won three stages of the Tour of Britain. Of course, the absolute top stars were not at the start here, but the talent nevertheless caused a stir. After all, several sprinters from the WorldTour took part in the small tour. Since last season, the sprinter's career has taken off.
The magic five
Although Magnier continued to achieve good results with several victories in second-class races, including one-day races, he was not yet able to assert himself at WorldTour level. At the Giro d'Italia, he finished third on the stage to Napoli, but had to abandon the Grand Tour early. After winning four out of five stages at the Tour of Slovakia, Paul Magnier travelled to China for the WorldTour Tour of Guangxi. By then, every cycling fan knew his name. With five stage wins, he took the sprint classification and wore the overall leader's jersey for four days. He defeated riders such as Jordi Meeus, Pavel Bittner and Jhonatan Narváez.
Paul Magnier picks up speed
Magnier continued his winning streak from last year in the traditionally strong field at the Tour of the Algarve. Once again beating Jordi Meeus and Pavel Bittner, but this time also Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud de Lie, Kaden Groves and Pascal Ackermann, the Frenchman came out on top, winning both sprint stages and the corresponding classification jersey. He then contested several classics and Tirreno-Adriatico, but without any notable results. The Giro d'Italia, which only started last Friday, was waiting for him.
The Milan conqueror
Jonathan Milan, who has won the points jersey in all the Grand Tours he has ridden in so far, also seemed to be ready for the Tour of Italy 2026 to be the favourite for the fast stages. After the first three stages, however, this seems anything but certain. Paul Magnier took the victories in the first and third stages, while Milan and the other sprinters had to make do with the places behind him. At the moment, nobody seems to be as strong as Magnier - the sprinters still have at least two more chances. Enough time for Milan to put the sprint crown back on his head, or two more stage wins for Paul Magnier. The young Frenchman has finally arrived at the top of the world and could become the next super sprinter.
Leon Weidner
Working student
