The 20-year-old Frenchman looks forward to new challenges this season.
Paul Magnier was one of the most successful neo-pros of 2024. The Grenoble resident got off to an incredible start, taking our first win of the year in Trofeo Ses Salines-Felanitx, before making it two victories after producing an incredible uphill sprint on stage 3 of the Tour of Oman. The Frenchman also competed in a couple of races together with the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team and the U23 French National squad, picking up a total of three wins, including two stages at the GiroNextGen, where he also claimed the points jersey.
In the second part of the year, he came close to a resounding victory on home turf, at the Bretagne Classic, an indication of what was to come in September, where he took the Tour of Britain by storm, scoring three wins thanks to his phenomenal speed and excellent positioning.
The Frenchman will be hoping to enjoy another strong start to the season in February, when he’ll pin on a number for the Étoile de Bessèges, the first pro stage race of his career on French soil, followed by Figueira Champions Classic. His first big appointment of the year, however, will come at the beginning of March, when Magnier will be at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The prestigious one-day race, which our team has won multiple times, will see Paul take on some of Flanders’ most famous roads, and the 20-year-old is excited at this thought.
“It’s been some time since my previous race, the Tour of Britain, and I can’t wait to be back in action and see how my body will react after all this time. I am motivated for my first race, but I can’t say I feel extra pressure after what was a very good debut year in the pro ranks. I got to learn a lot from my teammates, but also about myself, so overall it was a good experience.”
“Now I look forward to tackling bigger races, despite knowing they will be harder. I will continue to develop and hopefully get some more good results. I want to feel the race rhythm again, so I look forward to Bessèges, especially as I like racing in France and seeing the fans there”, Paul added. “From there, I will go to Portugal, and then to Belgium for my first cobblestone classic. I will do some recons first, to make sure I know the roads, as it will be something new for me, but I am excited to discover these races and determined to do my best.”
Photo credit: ©Cédric Depraetere
