The American and his younger French teammate look back at the past week in Oman.
Since bursting onto the pro scene a couple of weeks ago in Mallorca, Luke Lamperti and Paul Magnier have been the talk of the town. This dynamic duo, former teammates in the U23 ranks with Trinity Racing, continued their partnership and even took it to new levels together with Soudal Quick-Step, turning heads with their talent, versatility and youthful exuberance.
Talking with them after their most recent exploits, at the Tour of Oman, was a must, and it resulted in a great chat that gave some insight into their lives, passion, dreams, and learning the trade as part of the Wolfpack.
“When they say you can go racing in Oman, what you expect is sunny weather, desert, some camel spotting and chilling vibes in the peloton. Certainly not rain! And rain we got… crazy weather conditions, shortening of the stages and definitely no chill vibes in the peloton. But apart from the crazy weather conditions we really enjoyed our first time there. We had a really strong team with a nice environment and of course good results! It was a great mix of the group with the young guys but also the older and more experienced riders”, said Lamperti.
Apart from racking up three runner-up spots, Luke came out of the race also with a funny anecdote about one of his teammates, Jan Hirt, the experienced Czech who concluded the week in second place overall: “One thing I can tell you is that he sleeps a lot, like a lot! More than anybody that I have ever met in my life. He comes into the room and he sleeps until five minutes before we have to leave.”
Their careers have just started, but they both have the same dream, the same race they would like to win one day: “The World Championships. It’s the most beautiful jersey in the sport and wearing it for twelve months would be something incredible, the kind of stuff that defines one’s career.”
What did the two learn in the first few months with the Wolfpack?
“How professional the staff is and the environment of the team, yet keeping the Wolfpack spirit and making us feel at home”, said Luke, who shared with us that when he is home in California, his favorite pastimes is to go wakeboarding and wake surfing.
“How to do the sprint! Find the sprint train and know exactly where I need to start going. The knowledge of the sport directors and the other riders is also really something that we try to soak up at every race. It’s really an incredible honor to be amongst this group of very talented and passionate people on and off the bike”, said Paul, whose hobby – just like in Luke’s case – is water-related, but in a more relaxing environment – fishing.
Before wrapping it up, we wanted to know if there’s a Soudal Quick-Step rider they look up to in particular, and the answer came in the same voice: “Julian Alaphilippe”.
“Growing up, he was the rider I always watched on TV and I was fascinated by what he was doing in a race, no matter the race, winning with panache and making cycling fun and really spectacular. I can’t wait to ride by his side for the first time in my career in two weeks’ time, at Strade Bianche. I hope I can be of help there”, concluded Paul.
Photo credit: ©A.S.O. / Oman Cycling Association / Pauline Ballet
Luke Lamperti 
Paul Magnier 
