"I want to be the last survivor there one day" - Paul Magnier fascinated about the prospect of one day winning the Tour of Flanders
Cycling
Paul Magnier had a stellar professional debut over the past twelve months, consolidating himself as one of the most promising young sprinters in the peloton with eight victories in 2024.
Partly because of the lessons he learned from Julian Alaphilippe in his first pro year. "Julian is really a mentor to me," Magnier tells Wieler Revue. "He gave me many emotional moments in front of the television. To be able to race with him was great. He may have left, but we still keep in touch."
First big crash
The two-time world champion gave Magnier advice when the latter retired from the Tour of Britain after a serious crash near the end of last season. "I was in bed for six weeks because my head was hit hard, and I could barely move my left leg for two weeks. That made me lose a lot of muscle mass."
"It was very difficult to see myself deteriorate so quickly," Magnier continues. "It was my first big crash, but when I called Julian about it, he told me from his own experience that I should stay calm. That was the key to my recovery. I feel very good again now and I am really looking forward to 2025. I don't think too much about my previous season anymore."
Tour of Flanders
At the moment, Magnier is mainly is a rising sprinter, but winning on Champs-Elyseés is not his biggest dream as you may think. Instead, the Frenchman dreams of the biggest classics like Tour of Flanders. "I like that you have to be the very best on that one day. I dream of the Tour of Flanders. That race is important for the team, but just as much for myself."
"It's a survival trip, I want to be the last survivor there one day. It's a race that also has to suit me, because I'm someone who can survive the necessary hills in addition to his sprint. I don't want to be just a sprinter, because I also like to train in the hills and mountains. In that respect, I like a bit of everything."
Magnier will start his season at the Etoile de Bessèges and then ride the Volta ao Algarve, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo and Gent-Wevelgem, among others. Then in the spring he will do his first Grand Tour with the Giro d'Italia. The Tour of Flanders he may skip this year in favor of the Giro, but
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