In part two of our conversation with French powerhouse Paul Magnier of Soudal–Quick-Step — one of the brightest young stars in professional cycling — we dive deep into the art of sprinting.
Paul pulls back the curtain on the final 1,000 meters: how to read chaos, trust the lead-out, and time the winning move.
We dig into aero gains — from wind-tunnel insights and bar-width experiments to 56×11 gearing and 105–110 rpm cadence — and why he practices seated accelerations at 800–1,000 watts. He also unpacks the Wolfpack mentality that trades pressure for confidence.
Paul shares how he mentally reset after a heavy crash, what separates good from great sprinters, and his race-day routine. Plus: his go-to Castelli kit — the Sanremo S8 speed suit, Perfetto, Gabba, and Gavia jackets for rough weather — and why Castelli’s no-logo Pro Shop pieces have become a peloton secret.
If you’re chasing faster finishes in crits or road races, you’ll love Paul’s practical sprint training cues and energy-saving tactics.
🎧 Listen now to get smarter — and faster!
– LINKS –
Podcast episode with Paul ahead of the 2025 season:
https://youtu.be/ClivP8jdPlE
CONNECT
Paul Magnier: https://www.instagram.com/paul_magnier_/
CHAPTERS
0:00 — Intro
2:21 — Big goals: Monuments, Worlds & green jersey
3:30 — Finding rider type with the coach
4:19 — Handling pressure when the team backs you
5:20 — Wolfpack culture: confidence over pressure
7:18 — Resetting after crash & Omloop near-miss
13:12 — Inside a sprint: feel vs pain; favorite race kit
14:31 — Aero gains: position, wind tunnel & bar width tests
16:20 — Full aero system & no-logo Pro Shop gear
19:06 — Recon & visualizing the last 3 km
22:16 — Race-day routine & playlist
23:16 — Training to sprint: torque, short efforts, seated kicks
25:26 — Five-minute power & saving energy to the line
28:24 — Stage-race survival: fueling, grupetto, recovery
29:28 — Gearing & cadence: 56×11 today, 58T tomorrow?
30:12 — Marginal gains vs mental load; knowing your body
34:09 — Cold-weather kit essentials & layering
38:18 — Cooking, bus food & home life
41:05 — Paddle board, jet-ski dreams & Grenoble roots
44:00 — Outro
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