The Frenchman took his sixth victory of the season at the team’s first participation in the Muur Classic Geraardsbergen
14-Jun-2026: Paul Magnier picked up his first win of the year in a one-day race after a huge acceleration in the closing 250 meters of the 179km Muur Classic Geraardsbergen to cap off the team’s excellent work and effort Sunday afternoon.
After the original breakaway of the day was easily reeled in before the final lap, a dangerous two-man move that took off in the last ten kilometers spiced things up and made things a bit nervous, but Soudal Quick-Step kept their composure and made sure of bringing the attackers back just ahead of the flamme rouge.
Victorious in three Giro d’Italia stages and the points classification last month, Paul made things look easy on the cobbled uphill climb to the line, surging away from his opponents with an attack that left them trailing him by several bike lengths going into the last corner. The 22-year-old flew to his 30th victory in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey, a milestone only nine other riders have reached in the team’s 24-year history.
“It’s nice to have this winning feeling again after the Giro. We rode at the front the whole day, we controlled the race and managed to bring back the late attacks before I launched my acceleration. I want to thank my teammates for working hard and showing the strength of the squad”, a happy Paul said after the podium ceremony. “It was a fast start to the race, but I felt good from the beginning of the race, I knew the shape was there and had a lot of motivation after Wednesday’s third place. On the final climb it was also about finding the right moment to go, I did that and I’m naturally delighted with the way things panned out.”
