No luck for Paul Magnier Wednesday afternoon.
For the third day in a row, the sprinters took center stage at the first World Tour stage race of the month, one that travelled from Gorzow Wielkopolski to Zielona Gora, over 193.5 kilometers.
Unlike the previous stages that culminated in a bunch sprint, the breakaway now was more dangerous, despite enjoying a maximum gap of just three minutes with 100 kilometers to go. T-Rex Quick-Step worked tirelessly in the pack, and with the help of other teams, managed to reabsorb the escapees just five kilometers from home.
The finale was a tense one and made it difficult for the lead-out trains to organize themselves. For that reason, Paul Magnier couldn’t count on Dries Van Gestel, but the 24-year-old still fought hard for positioning and to find some space to launch his acceleration. Unfortunately for Paul, as he had to make up a lot of ground in the final 300 meters, he came over the line outside the top ten, but despite this, he remained second in the overall standings ahead of the Karpacz stage.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
