Soudal Quick-Step leads the team classification after the first day.
Paul Magnier came incredibly close to his second victory in just four days. After winning the Cyclassics Hamburg last weekend, the 22-year-old Frenchman remained in Germany and produced a fantastic ride in the 2.6km Deutschland Tour prologue around Bad Orb, where he stopped the clock in 3:10.
It was a solid time, made even more impressive by the fact the roads were wet when Paul left the start house, a time that saw him stay in the hot seat for almost two hours, when his result was improved by just one second. Second in the classification, Magnier was one of the three Soudal Quick-Step riders in the top five Wednesday afternoon, alongside Laurenz Rex, who rounded out the podium, and Andrea Raccagni.
Despite the wet conditions, I wanted to test myself today in the prologue and give it everything I had.
“The plan was to go full gas on the climb, while not taking too many risks in the dangerous final corners. At the finish, my legs were completely empty. I don’t think I’ve ever gone this deep before. It’s frustrating to see the weather clear up and the roads dry out after I finished, giving the riders behind me more time to gain, especially in the technical corners where I had to brake and slow down, and I’m disappointed not to take the win, but also very proud of the team and of having three riders in the top five. It’s a big confidence-boost for the next days.”
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
