The Frenchman comes out on top on the second bunch sprint of the Tour of Britain.
Paul Magnier delivered our team’s 25th stage victory at the Tour of Britain as he became the new points classification leader with just two days to go, after another dominant sprint, this time in Newark-on-Trent, not that far from the famous Sherwood Forest.
On the finishing straight, just after a right-hand corner, Magnier came off the wheel of an excellent Julian Alaphilippe – who once again charged forward with his countryman on his wheel, producing an incredible lead-out – and capitalised on his teammate’s flawless piloting. The 20-year-old stomped from Grenoble his authority on the bunch sprint as he powered like a locomotive to his fourth victory in the pro ranks and his second of the week.
“I’m delighted with this win, which once again wouldn’t have been possible without my incredible team. They controlled the race in the headwind, then put me in an excellent position for the finale, where it was very fast due to the tailwind. I had a lot of confidence and did a good sprint. Finishing it off makes me very happy, especially as this was one of the stages I was targeting before the start of the race.”
“I’m really proud to be part of Soudal Quick-Step, it’s something that motivates me and it feels amazing to contribute to this squad’s incredible palmares. We have two victories so far and it would be nice if we could add to these in the remaining stages. The jersey is a bonus and having it on my shoulders makes me keen on doing my best to take it home”, said Paul, the first French rider this century to score a pair of stages at a single edition of the Tour of Britain.
Photo credit: ©SWpix
