Only Tadej Pogačar had more wins than Paul Magnier in 2025, but he would more than likely trade all 19 of those previous successes for the one he achieved on stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia on Friday, reaching a new level in 2026 as the Soudal-QuickStep rider out-sprinted Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) to the line in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Magnier has long been a top prospect, breaking through with victories on Italian roads at the Giro Next Gen and Tour of Britain in 2024, then adding WorldTour successes to his palmares at the Tour of Guangxi and Tour of Poland a season ago.
But a Grand Tour victory still looked potentially out of reach for the 22-year-old Frenchman as he started his second Giro off the back of a Classics season plagued with bad luck. He didn't dwell on his constant punctures, though, and with a careful period of refocusing, Magnier timed his peak and his sprint just right to earn himself the pink jersey.
Latest Videos From
"It's everything step by step. Last year, I was really proud to win a lot of races, but this year, the goal was to score a big one," said Magnier in his winner's press conference, who is hungry for more after already completing his goal for this Giro. "Maybe I will not win 19 this year, but I can be extremely proud of winning the first stage of the Giro d'Italia. It's a dream come true today.
"During the Classics I had a bit of bad luck, so I was disappointed, even if I saw progress from last year, and I was for sure hungry for a win. But I had four to five easy days to change my mind and refocus on the giro.
"When I went to altitude, I set up the goals with my coach to win a stage. It's already a goal I've completed now, but now we need to be hungry for more. The goal will be to win as many stages as possible, but that will not be easy."
The reality of what he'd achieved had still not quite set in, even after around an hour of wearing his new pink jersey, as Magnier grinned ear to ear as he went from the finish line to the mixed zone and the podium. That realisation will only come in the next few days.
"There's a lot of emotions for sure. It's hard to believe it, but I think tomorrow when I'm at the start with the jersey I will realise and enjoy as much as possible," he said, before admitting that his new attire won't turn into his nightwear.
Magnier laughed as he was asked whether he would be sleeping in the maglia rosa on Friday night: "I don't think so, maybe it will be around the bed, but it will for sure be in my sleeping room at home."
While Magnier isn't one of the favourites for the second stage into Veliko Tarnovo, where a punchy finale could draw the GC riders out into a fight, he's prepared to honour the jersey with everything he has. There will also be at least four more chances for the fast-men as the Giro goes on – the first of which is on stage 3 into Sofia.
"[Wearing the pink jersey] is something that will not happen every day in my career, so I will have to really enjoy it tomorrow," he said.
"There is maybe a chance that I can survive if I feel good. The legs will speak tomorrow. I will enjoy the victory first, but for sure, I had a great preparation at altitude, so why not try? When you have the pink jersey, you have to try to keep it as long as possible."
Despite the excellence Magnier and his Soudal-QuickStep teammates showed on stage 1, keeping him out of trouble with the late mass crash and delivering him perfectly onto the wheel of Lund Andresen to strike, the Frenchman showed maturity beyond his years as he noted how, "you cannot be too confident", even after such a success.
Magnier will want to stay grounded as this Giro progresses, but by making this step up with victory on the Grand Tour stage, these next 20 stages could include a second breakthrough for him from top sprint prospect to one of the established best sprinters in the world.
Who will challenge Jonas Vingegaard at this year's Giro d'Italia? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Corsa Rosa. Enjoy unrivalled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
