Paul Magnier went back-to-back in China, the young French speedster from Soudal-QuickStep making light work of another hilly dash from Chongzuo to Jingxi. In a wet but warm morning on the southern border, the peloton rolled out under grey skies, and he and his team never looked rattled. It felt like they had just picked up where they left off after Stage 1.
The 177.3-kilometre route looked simple enough on paper, but climbed more than 2000 meters and twisted through tight Guangxi roads, with fans pressed up against barriers under umbrellas. Breakaway hopefuls made their usual move straight out the gate: Kevin Geniets, Stan Dewulf, Simon Guglielmi, Peter Γxenberg, Frank van den Broek, and Michael Valgren, and the bunch was happy to let them dangle. Their gap hovered around three minutes while the sprintersβ trains kept things calm.
A few riders dropped on the early hills, but the group found rhythm again heading toward the halfway point, where drizzle turned into a proper downpour. Trek, Jayco, and Soudal all shared the chase, and with 25 kilometres to go, the race started to heat up. NavΓ‘rez from UAE Team Emirates-XRG made a punchy move on a ramp, testing legs but never really getting away. By the final ten, the pack was whole again, and the sprinters smelled blood.
When you talk about the margins in sprint finishes, itβs almost like the razor-thin calls cycling bettors face when comparing odds across platforms that cover this super competitive sport. For fans following the Tour and dabbling in sports wagering, exploring a closer look at offshore betting can reveal how different sportsbooks adjust their lines on events like these. Itβs not unlike comparing team tactics, one book might favour a safe pick, another tempts with a longer shot. Knowing which to trust takes the same kind of feel Magnier has for timing his launch.
Back on the road, it all came down to one long straight into Jingxi. With two kilometres left, Soudalβs lead-out man Dries Van Gestel pulled off, leaving Magnier tucked perfectly behind Pavel Bittner. Aniolkowski from Cofidis jumped early, hoping to catch them off guard, but Magnier waited that extra heartbeat. He surged past with clean acceleration and never looked back. Bittner held for second, Aniolkowski clung to third, while Dainese, Meeus, and Welsford rounded out the top six.
After the stage, Magnier grinned through the spray. βThe team was unbelievable again,β he said. βWe stayed patient, stuck to the plan, and it worked just like yesterday.β Itβs been a breakout season for the 21-year-old, who now has sixteen wins in 2025, including stages at the UAE Tour and Tour de Hongrie. The numbers are starting to put him in rare company for riders his age, a sign that he might just be the next long-term sprint leader for the Belgian squad.
Further down the GC list, his teammates kept things tidy, holding the lead in both points and overall classifications. The rest of the field, meanwhile, was left trying to find answers for how to unseat a squad running this smoothly.
Cycling analysts noted that the combination of consistent terrain and wet descents gave stronger lead-out teams the edge. Smaller squads tried to use technical sections to disrupt rhythm, but couldnβt make it stick. Data from the official UCI Tour of Guangxi page confirmed average speeds topping 43 km/h, not insane by flat-stage standards, but considering the climbs and slick roads, still blistering.
Even so, the Guangxi route keeps surprising riders year after year. Itβs not just the landscape; itβs the atmosphere. Local fans camped along the barriers for hours despite the rain, waving flags and handing out small red flowers, the sort of charm that makes this closing race of the WorldTour calendar a favourite among the peloton.
Stage 3 heads north toward Nanning, another profile tailor-made for the fast men, though fatigue could start to shift the balance. Soudalβs rivals will be hoping to shake up the rhythm before Magnier seals the overall with another sprint, but judging by his current form, they might be chasing shadows again.
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The post Magnier Doubles Up at Tour of Guangxi with Another Blistering Sprint appeared first on PezCycling News.
