"He's incredibly motivated": Bruyneel is not surprised by Paul Magnier's excellent Giro start
Cycling
Paul Magnier was the star of the Giro d'Italia opening weekend in Bulgaria with two sprint stage wins, overcoming the expected overlord of bunch finishes Jonathan Milan on both occasions. Thus, the Soudal - Quick-Step rider confirmed himself as the upcoming household name in the eyes of all experts, including Johan Bruyneel.
Especially after the third stage, Bruyneel was impressed by the Frenchman's tactical maturity in a nervous highway sprint: "Magnier was in a great position. Unibet Rose Rockets did a great lead-out, but Groenewegen was a little surprised by Milan coming over the top at high speed. And he lost the fight with Magnier for Milan's wheel. That's where sprint battles are decided," he analyzed on The Move podcast.
With two stage wins and a maglia ciclamino, it is a remarkable start for the 22-year-old. "I'm not surprised that Magnier won. He's incredibly motivated, the team is doing a great job. Two out of three for him — a great start."
Magnier will be the firm favourite again whenever a sprint finish comes around, but Groenewegen looks to be his most dangerous challenger after what he showed in Bulgaria. "He was disappointed in himself, because he was here to win. But he came back with a lot of speed," Bruyneel analysed. "He blamed himself for waiting too long. But he can definitely win a stage at this Giro."
UAE is in a critical spot
While Quick-Step have all the reasons for happiness, one of the teams without a clear goal for this Giro, UAE Team Emirates - XRG, have lost three of their key riders in stage 2 crash and now seem to have lost much of their purpose for the remaining 18 stages in Italy.
"Let's see what happens with them. There are plenty of opportunities for their riders, but they need to make the switch. For some of them it could be a wonderful three weeks — but things don't always go the way you want. UAE were already hampered by bad luck before the Giro. Three more riders have now been added to that list."
Of those who are left, youngsters Jan Christen and António Morgado are looking at a unique opportunity to grab a leadership role in some stages: "Someone like Jan Christen has a lot of ambition. It could still be two great weeks for him. The same goes for António Morgado. I don't like it when people say they want to win stages: start by winning one."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
- Exactly, you hit the nail on te head.... Ayuso sucks. 3 to 4 years ago some cycling experts were comparing Ayuso as the "new Pogi"... but he's not even close to him... either physically or mentally. Capish you naive schoolboy?PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- I think they expected more from riders like Carlos Rodriguez, Vauquelin and Magnus Sheffield. Imo they should have focused on signing Primoz Roglic, at least they´d probably have had a guaranteed podium GT finisher (he still might sign for them). Now they have 2nd or third tier riders in the classics (Ben Turner, Arensman, Beloki and hopefully Onley can step up again even more). Sheffield, August, Bernal, Tarling and Geoghan Hart did not live up to the star expectations eventually..Jonatan11-11-2026
- Fuuuuuuck, Ciccone and Pidcock on the same team, attacking like crazy and taking it to the other competitors? Yes, please.Occam11-11-2026
- Oh Cameron, this win has been a long time coming! We could not be more proud. All I’ll say is: roll on Glasgow 🔥anonymouscyclist11-11-2026
- Ayuso is another guy riding for GC but won't be able to consistently do it. Almost all of these guys, Skjelmose included, would be better off targeting shorter stage races or one-day races rather than shooting for a GT top-five.Occam11-11-2026
- Awesome. Because you didn't like him, he sucks. Good Lord, you're tendentious. And you write like a 15 yo locked in his room after school.Occam11-11-2026
- He's another guy that got caught up in the hype for GC at GT's. That's a fool's errand for most riders. Clearly, he's in the right spot now, looking at what he's done as a team domestique. Regularly blowing apart the peloton, and in particular, his ride at World's was stellar.Occam11-11-2026
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