A late bloomer, track rider, and tough choice: dissecting Paul Magnier’s Belgian sprint train
Two bunch sprints and two wins for Paul Magnier. Naturally, the 20-year-old French prodigy gets a lot of credit for his hard work during training camps leading up to the Giro d'Italia, but in the sprint preparation itself, the work of his Belgian teammates Ayco Bastiaens, Fabio Van den Bossche, Jasper Stuyven, and Dries Van Gestel was striking. What is their role at Soudal Quick-Step?
No sprint is ever exactly the same, and even if you have an ideal plan in mind beforehand, things rarely go exactly as you want them to in the chaos before a final sprint. But at Soudal Quick-Step, they do have consistent domestiques who deliver solid work.
The man we see on screen the longest is Ayco Bastiaens. A late bloomer, already 29 and now in his third year at Soudal Quick-Step, but he still has not really made a name for himself. This is his first Grand Tour, but Bastiaens's role is important. You could easily call him the new Tim Declercq, because in order for Magnier to contest sprints, the escape of the day must first be reeled back in. Together with the guys from Lidl-Trek and Unibet Rose Rockets, he plays a controlling role in that process.
Between Bastiaens’ work and that of the sprint train, Italians Gianmarco Garofoli, Andrea Raccagni Noviero, and Filippo Zana do their part, before Fabio Van den Bossche takes over in the final two kilometers. He fills the role that many teams call the “positioner.” He has consistently delivered his leader and lead-outs perfectly into the final moments of previous sprints. As a former Olympic track cyclist and medalist, he has the ideal qualities for this job.
Last year, Van den Bossche did this for Jasper Philipsen at Alpecin-Premier Tech, the team Bastiaens also comes from. Their experience is important for the young prodigy, but the last two sprint pilots also bring a hefty share of knowledge. We are talking about Stuyven, who arrived from Lidl-Trek last winter, and Van Gestel, who has been with the team for one season longer.
Before the Giro, team director Kevin Hulsmans openly wondered which of the two would fill the role of “last man” for Magnier in the sprints. “That choice depends a bit on Paul himself,” the Limburg native explained. The consideration? The 31-year-old Dries Van Gestel has established himself over the last two seasons as Magnier’s regular lead-out rider. The two have formed a strong bond and have learned to instinctively read each other. Last year at the Tour of Guangxi, this led to five wins in six days.
On the other hand, Jasper Stuyven has more raw speed. Earlier this season, the former Milan-San Remo winner finished third in a bunch sprint at Paris-Nice. At 34, he is a bit older and has more experience at the highest level. On the other hand, he knows Magnier less well. “But,” says Hulsmans, “he spent years riding with Jonathan Milan at Lidl-Trek. Milan is on paper our biggest rival. Jasper knows how the Italian moves, and that can definitely be an advantage in certain situations.”
In the end, the situation sorted itself out. In the opening sprint, Van Gestel was the last man after a turn by Stuyven. Two days later, the Leuven-born rider personally brought his French finisher to Milan’s wheel. Both tactics worked and should inspire confidence for what is to come. The Frenchman already proved last year that once he starts winning, he is hard to beat. With that confidence and an even closer bond between teammates, sparks are guaranteed in what is already a successful Giro.
