Paul Magnier and Luke Lamperti impress on first day with Soudal - Quick-Step: "A perfect sprint, you could say"

Paul Magnier and Luke Lamperti were signed by Soudal - Quick-Step this winter and they impressed right from the get go. The duo of youngsters immediately took headlines in the peloton, working together towards an impressive first and third place at the Trofeo Ses Salines - Felanitx.

"It feels great to win for this fantastic team on my debut. So many great riders and I already feel at home here. I have to find the words to say how I feel after this victory," Magnier said right after taking the win. "I'm only nineteen years old. I have no idea what type of rider I am, so to win here is unbelievable. I couldn't have dreamed of this. My teammates did very well today. During the last twenty kilometers we always stayed together and were always in a good position on those long straight roads. Gianni [Moscon] and Yves [Lampaert] then took over and pulled the peloton into a ribbon. Luke is also very fast himself and guided me through the final. We had a plan and we followed it.”

Reaching the short final straight in front was the goal for the Belgian team. A powerful leadout led to outstanding results. Luke Lamperti led Magnier through the tricky section and sprinted out of it, with the 19-year old Frenchman then punching towards the win ahead of Alberto Dainese.

"We wanted to come out strong here with the young boys. The fact that we win with Paul and I come third on our first day of racing with the team is great," Luke Lamperti added. "It was a tricky sprint after a fast day, so everyone was still fresh. Lampaert and Moscon took us to the last roundabout and from there I could continue to the last bend. A perfect sprint, you could say."