A crash on the local circuit took the 22-year-old out of contention.
Paul Magnier entered this year’s Bretagne Classic as the red-hot favorite after his victories at the Cyclassics Hamburg and Deutschland Tour. Surrounded by an incredibly strong Soudal Quick-Step team, the Frenchman was hoping to add a second World Tour Classic to his palmares, especially as the hilly terrain suited him.
Runner-up two years ago and fourth last season, Paul enjoyed a quiet day - controlled by his squad - until 66 kilometers to go, when the road narrowed and a crash took down several riders. Paul was among those to hit the deck and couldn’t continue the race, but fortunately, escaped any serious injuries.
The final kilometers were hectic and witnessed countless attacks from the peloton; after several skirmishes, a group managed to get away, and from there, Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) outfoxed the rest and took a flyer, holding off the chasers and taking the win in Plouay, where Jasper Stuyven concluded as the best placed Soudal Quick-Step rider.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
