“It was my first time against the big sprinters” - Paul Magnier stuns Jonathan Milan and co to seize Maglia Rosa at Giro d'Italia 2026

Paul Magnier arrived at the 2026 Giro d’Italia insisting this year would be different from his first appearance in the race twelve months ago. In 2025, the Frenchman described his Giro debut as a learning experience. This time, Soudal - Quick-Step travelled to Italy with a sprint team built around him and a clear objective of fighting for victories. One stage into the race, that plan has already delivered the Maglia Rosa.

The 21-year-old Frenchman stunned Jonathan Milan, Tobias Lund Andresen and the rest of the sprint field in a chaotic opening stage finish in Burgas, handing Soudal - Quick-Step their first WorldTour victory of the season and immediately rewarding the confidence the team placed in him ahead of this year’s Giro.

Speaking afterwards in the flash interview, Magnier admitted both the result and the pink jersey still felt surreal.

“I’m so proud of the team and my performance,” Magnier said afterwards. “It was already nice to start the Giro in good shape and with a nice new Castelli jersey - and now I can change it for pink. I’m so happy.”

The opening stage had long been expected to end in a bunch sprint, but the finale into Burgas became increasingly chaotic as the sprint trains fought aggressively for position inside the final kilometres. A major crash inside the final kilometre then split the peloton and left only a reduced front group able to contest the victory.

Soudal - Quick-Step emerged best positioned from the chaos after strong work from Jasper Stuyven and Dries Van Gestel in the final leadout. “It was really hectic in the final because everyone was fresh after a really easy day,” Magnier explained. “Jasper and Dries did an amazing job and then I was able to finish it off.”

The victory came against one of the strongest sprint fields assembled at this year’s Giro, with Milan, Kaden Groves, Dylan Groenewegen and Lund Andresen all among the pre-stage favourites for the opening Maglia Rosa.

For Magnier, that made the result even more satisfying. “It was my first time against the big sprinters [on a Grand Tour] and I’m super happy with how it went,” he said.

Magnier’s Giro story looks very different to twelve months ago. During the 2025 edition, the Frenchman arrived largely to discover the race and gain experience at Grand Tour level rather than as the outright leader of a dedicated sprint project. He showed flashes of his talent, including a podium finish in Naples, but ultimately left the race without a stage victory after abandoning before Rome.

Ahead of this year’s race, however, Magnier openly acknowledged the shift in expectations around him compared to 2025, explaining that Soudal - Quick-Step had arrived with a far clearer focus on sprint success.

That new approach paid off immediately in Bulgaria. The stage victory also carried extra emotional significance after Magnier had previously worn the pink jersey during the Baby Giro earlier in his career. “I’ve already worn the pink jersey on the Baby Giro,” Magnier said. “And now I will enjoy wearing it here.”