"I think we’re going to have a really good Classics season": Paul Magnier ready to rebuild Wolfpack's legacy
Cycling
For years, talking about Soudal - Quick-Step was synonymous with absolute dominance on the cobbled Classics. The Wolfpack turned the Flemish spring into its natural habitat, stacking wins at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix with almost intimidating regularity. In recent seasons, however, the focus shifted steadily toward Grand Tours and stage races, a change driven by the rise of Remco Evenepoel. That was until the past winter when the Belgian's departure changed everything.
Now, the message from management is clear: the Classics are once again a priority. CEO Jürgen Foré summed it up bluntly: the team wants to win a major Classic again. A statement that a decade ago would have sounded routine, but today signals a strategic pivot.
The team’s last major win in Flanders came in 2021, when Kasper Asgreen took the Ronde. That same year, Davide Ballerini won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Since then, their presence on the cobbles has faded, while Evenepoel piled up victories at Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Clásica San Sebastián. His growth as a GC reference point shifted resources and attention away from the Classics unit.
For 2026, the Belgian structure has clearly reinforced its core of specialists. The arrivals of Jasper Stuyven, a past Omloop winner, and Dylan van Baarle, the 2022 Roubaix champion, point to a deliberate rebuild of the cobbled block. The immediate aim: to regain prominence right from opening weekend, with Omloop and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne as the first tests.
Beyond the established names, one of the big cards is young Frenchman Paul Magnier, runner-up at Omloop in 2025 and a recent double stage winner at the Volta ao Algarve. His fast, resilient profile makes him a key piece for reduced sprints or unpredictable tactical finales.
"Yes, without a doubt. With Remco leaving, the team has more scope to get back into a Classics dynamic, and we can see that in the squad with the arrival of new riders," Magnier told Cyclingnews.
The Frenchman senses a different vibe within the team, with renewed motivation after a winter tailored specifically to one-day racing. "I think we’re all super motivated to get good results and, on top of that, we had a strong winter’s training, so I think we’re going to have a really good Classics season."
Paul Magnier is set to become Soudal Quick-Step’s leader for the spring Classics
The weight of history
At Quick-Step, tradition matters — and helps. The accumulated experience of the sports directors and technical staff, many of them protagonists of the team’s golden era, is a strategic advantage in races where positioning and tactical reading are decisive.
"The team’s history in the Classics is also very important," said Magnier.
"The guidance and experience of sports directors who have raced all these events, the staff… I think everyone wants to give 100% and do everything possible to get the riders into the best shape for these races. I firmly believe that, as a Belgian team with a long track record of success in these Classics, this is the best way to achieve those results."
The feeling inside is that this revival is not a one-off gesture, but the start of a new cycle. Spring is only just beginning, but at Soudal - Quick-Step the message is clear: reclaiming dominance on the pavé is not nostalgia, it’s a priority. And, as voices inside suggest, this is only the beginning.
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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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