The 2025 Tour of Guangxi got underway with a 149-kilometre opener in Fangchenggang, where Paul Magnier claimed the stage win in a chaotic sprint finish disrupted by a heavy crash.
The stage featured a flat, fast circuit with three passes over the finish line, offering few opportunities for attackers. An early breakaway formed featuring Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon), Rémy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ), and Julius Johansen (UAE Team Emirates). The trio built a modest lead of just over a minute and picked up the intermediate bonuses on the first crossing, but their effort was neutralised with around 110 kilometres remaining as the peloton raised the tempo.
Later, Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa–B&B Hotels) and Attila Valter (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) made a move after the second pass over the line, stretching their lead to around 90 seconds. However, coordinated work from Soudal Quick-Step, Red Bull BORA, and Picnic steadily closed the gap, and the pair were caught with 22 kilometres to go.
From that point, the peloton maintained a relentless pace. Red Bull BORA took charge at the front in support of Jordi Meeus, with Roger Adrià playing a key role in the lead-out. Soudal Quick-Step also looked well-drilled for Magnier, while other teams focused on keeping their sprinters in contention.
In the final 15 kilometres, no further breakaways were allowed as the race built towards a high-speed finish. Lorenzo Milesi worked to bring Fernando Gaviria into position near the front for Movistar Team, with key contenders — including Meeus, Magnier, Arvid de Kleijn, Itamar Einhorn, Max Kanter, and Paul Penhoët — all jostling for position.
The final five kilometres were tense, and the sprint unfolded on a long, wide finishing straight. A large crash disrupted the lead-out trains just as the sprint launched, taking down several riders. Amid the mayhem, Paul Magnier kept his line and stayed upright, powering to the stage win and claiming the first leader's jersey of the race.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
- LOL...it's a predetermined finish ! N one is 'clashing' at these exhibition crits!frieders307-11-2026
- Surely the UCI and the race organisers have a responsibility to ensure the best medical care is available to riders when incidents like this happen. All very well pushing for global expansion but not so good if riders lives are put at risk because medical support is not up to scratch.Andy12306-11-2026
- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment