"He's incredibly motivated": Bruyneel is not surprised by Paul Magnier's excellent Giro start

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."

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."