Paul Magnier thanks Soudal teammates after Giro d'Italia victory

Paul Magnier celebrated a significant achievement as he thanked his Soudal-QuickStep teammates following his third sprint victory at the Giro d'Italia. The victory, which took place in Pieve di Soligo near the Prosecco hills, was unexpected after recent challenges during the mountainous stages of the race. Magnier’s triumph not only marked his third stage win, but also allowed him to reclaim the cyclamen-coloured points jersey from Jonathan Narváez, who was unable to finish in the top positions during this stage.

In an emotional celebration, Magnier was seen shedding tears of joy as the Soudal-QuickStep team rejoiced in his success. Rival Jonathan Milan from Lidl-Trek, who finished behind him, expressed his disappointment at not being able to achieve a victory this year.

Jasper Stuyven, one of Magnier's teammates, remarked, "It was not the plan we discussed this morning but sometimes it still pays off." He highlighted how critical their strategy was and how they managed to assist Magnier into the right position, despite a chaotic finish. "Paul suffered a lot in the last few days, but the pressure was off today and that helped us," Stuyven explained.

Magnier expressed immense gratitude towards his teammates, acknowledging that he faced difficulties during the stage, particularly in the heat. He had been dropped during both significant climbs but was consistently aided by his team to get back into contention. "The team did a masterclass today," Magnier stated, emphasizing how his team helped restore his confidence and navigate the race effectively.

Following this stage, Magnier now boasts a total of 195 points, leading Narváez by 38 points, due to Narváez finishing only 18th in the sprint and missing out on points. In the upcoming stages, particularly stage 19 and stage 20, Narváez will be looking for points in intermediate sprints to challenge for the points competition title, which will conclude in the final sprint in Rome on Sunday.

Reflecting on his recent challenges, Magnier admitted, "Narváez made my life really hard in the last few days by attacking a lot. Today I didn't mark him, I just tried to save energy for the last climb. I took a lot of points and so opened my advantage again." With this victory, he felt thrilled to have regained the coveted cyclamen jersey.