Tim Merlier is the undisputed sprint king within the Soudal Quick-Step squad, but Paul Magnier is making spectacular progress within the team. The 21-year-old Frenchman notched up an impressive nineteen wins in the past road racing season. This potentially makes Magnier an internal competitor to Merlier, but the Belgian doesn't see it that way at all.
In an extensive interview with Het Nieuwsblad, the 33-year-old West Flemish rider discusses a wide range of topics. Among them was the rapid development of Magnier. "I’m the guy with the race number: I perform better in races than in training. But if I really focus during training, I have to try really hard to beat Paul," Merlier laughs. "But I always tell Bert: I beat him in races."
"I try to help him"
"I get along very well with Paul and I think we share the same mindset. If the team decides he has to sacrifice himself for me, he will do it, and vice versa. I also try to help him. If he has a bad sprint, he dares to send me a message: ‘I messed it up.’ Then I try to give him some pointers."
Paul Magnier racked up victories in 2025 - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Merlier is therefore taking the young Frenchman a bit under his wing. "I’m a team player, and the better the team, the happier I am. Paul is incredibly talented, more so than I am, but sprinting is also about the details. If you look at his last few months, I think he is slowly mastering those."
Magnier mostly won smaller races over the past road racing season, but Merlier expects him to soon triumph at the highest level. "Yes, I’m convinced of that. He hasn’t done it yet in the Giro, but I think next year he will win a classic and several stages in a Grand Tour."
