"I see the new Tom Boonen in him" - French wonderkid leads 'The Wolfpack' on Opening Weekend 2025

Soudal - Quick-Step have for many years been amongst the leading contenders on Opening Weekend. In 2025 though, the new 'Wolfpack' are slightly less fancied as the teams continues to switch attentions more towards GC riding. In French wonderkid Paul Magnier though, they do still have a potential contender.

The 20-year-old has already managed to add 6 wins to his palmares, including the opening stage of Etoile de Besseges earlier this year. Despite his young age, Magnier is one to watch at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad later this afternoon. "I see the new Tom Boonen in him," Soudal - Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters told Het Nieuwsblad excitedly.

“He’s a super good guy,” team coach Klaas Lodewyck added with similar warmth. "I compare him a bit to Jasper Philipsen: he’s also someone who knows exactly what he wants, but who could also forget his shoes in the meantime. Paul is a bit the same. It's like he has two personalities. On the one hand he's really calm and chill but in the race he's a killer. We're going to see some serious punches from him if this progression continues."

It's not just Magnier' coaches and DS's that have been left impressed either. Even his teammates are very excited for the future of the 20-year-old Frenchman. “I wouldn't be 'shocked' if he were already riding in the finals,” teammate Bert Van Lerberghe predicts. "I don't see why not. I really believe that. Paul is the future and the future can come quickly. There won't be fifteen people that ride up the road on Saturday without him."

"Omloop will be a difficult race and it's also my first time. So I have to race smart and save energy for a possible sprint finish," Magnier himself told VTM after a team recon of the course. "I'd never seen the route before. It's packed with corners, pinch points and perhaps sectors in the wind. It'll be important to race well as a team. I'll soon find out what I can do. My legs are good, now we'll soon find out what happens in the race."