Paul Magnier is a rider of many talents; he has a fast sprint, loves to win, and has the innate bike skills for the cobbled Classics, so it’s no surprise he names Mathieu van der Poel as an inspiration.
The Frenchman is still only 21 and has a lot to learn, but his enthusiasm and ambition are contagious. It was fascinating to witness him at the Soudal-QuickStep team presentation in Calpe, Spain.
Magnier is not afraid to name himself as one of Soudal-QuickStep's leaders for the Spring Classics.
"I think we will have a lot of leaders for the Classics, we can play many different cards with Dylan van Baarle, Jasper Stuyen, Tim Merlier, myself and even Lawrence Rex. We have five big riders that can go far in the race," Magnier told a small group of journalists, including Cyclingnews, at the rooftop bar of Soudal-QuickStep's hotel in Calpe.
Magnier might not lead the team at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in 2026, but one day he will.
"If I can already really perform at Omloop [Het Nieuwsblad], Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen, it's going to be a super nice season," he said.
"I don't want to burn the steps and go to some races just to be there on the start line. It's like the Tour de France; if one day I go to the Tour, I want to be able to perform. I still believe that I need to progress and get another season more in the legs to really perform in the biggest races."
Soudal-QuickStep have moved quickly to extend Magnier's contract through to 2029, adding two more years to his already solid tenure. If Remco Evenepoel represents the team's past, and Tim Merlier is the present, Magnier is the future.
"I think it was a normal decision for me after such a great season," Magnier explained.
"The team was really confident in me, and with the departure of Remco, they really want to rebuild the team for the Classics.
"For me, it was a very good decision. I think we're the best sprint team. There are a lot of teams that try to be the best in the world by winning the GC races. I really believe that the Wolf Pack wants to stay focused on the sprints and the Classics. They don't really want to spend all their money on GC riders and building a whole team around a GC rider. That's something really important for me."
Magnier will follow a totally different race programme to Tim Merlier, but 'M&M' - Merlier and Magnier- are not rivals. Merlier will target the Tour de France sprints while Magnier will ride the Giro d'Italia.
"I think the only races we will do together will be maybe Gent-Wevelgem," Magnier said.
"I think a lot of people think that when there are two sprinters in a team, they try to be rivals, fight to do the best races. That's not the case with Tim. We have two completely different programmes. We just want to try to help each other to win as many races as possible, to keep the team really motivated and have the best careers possible."
Magnier won 19 races in 2025, including 13 in a month between the Tour of Slovakia, the CRO Race and the Tour of Guangxi. He intends to remain a sprinter but names Van der Poel as his role model. The Dutchman defeated Magnier at the early-season Samyn Classic on the cobbles and blew him away during a stage of the Renawi Tour.
"I saw that Mathieu was really on another planet. I really saw that he's really stronger than me," Magnier admitted.
"I see him as an example. I really like the class he has when he rides his bike. He can do mountain biking, cyclo-cross and seems to play with his bike, while really enjoying racing. He really is the type of rider that I would like to be in the future."
Magnier's natural ambitions mean he has 'seen' his ideal career development and laid out his goals for the years ahead.
"In three years, the 2028 world championships will be held in Dubai and then in Belgium and Denmark. So there are going to be three big opportunities to be the world champion. It's the biggest goal of my career," he said with nonchalance rather than braggadocio.
"I really hope I will have no injury, no sickness, nothing. I hope everything will go in a good way, and if everything goes right, why can't I one day be there fighting for the rainbow jersey?"
