'1000 watt man' Paul Magnier takes Besseges triumph - "It’s important for me that I won my first race of the year"

Paul Magnier is a huge talent, and he did not wait to remind the peloton of it. Before the start of the Etoile de Bessèges he talked about how when he's fresh he can put out 1000 watts for a whole minute, and this afternoon he put out similar numbers to take an impressive win in a star-studded field atop a steep climb.

“It’s important for me that I won my first race of the year, just like last season. It gives a lot of confidence and shows how hard I have worked in the winter," Magnier said in a press release. "I want to thank everyone who supported me after my crash last September – team, family, friends, manager – it’s thanks to them that I got to win here in France in front of my fans.”

It was a day with a lot of wind and a very tense finale, so definitely no-one made it fresh to the final ascent. But his Strava file reveals an output of 794 watts for 1:13 minutes in the final climb to take the win. This was a brutal effort as he entered it already well positioned, and then followed the early move of Jordi Meeus. In the finishing straight, the 20-year old stormed to win.

Like in 2024, he wins on his first race of the year. “The finale was very steep, but I began the climb in a good position thanks to the team’s excellent work. They did a perfect job today and I’m grateful for that. The key was to be patient and I was until I decided to give everything when it mattered the most," he detailed. 

In the next few days he will have more opportunities to win but for the time being he is already in the lead of the race and the pressure is already off his shoulders. "I’m proud of my performance and of this success. I will do my best to keep the leader’s jersey on Thursday and maybe try to get another victory this week”