And that's number seventeen! Paul Magnier has also added the third stage of the Tour of Guangxi to his palmarès. The gap to the competition was smaller this time, but the French sprint sensation from Soudal Quick-Step still proved clearly faster than Jordi Meeus and Max Kanter.
The third stage in the Tour of Guangxi was the longest of the race, covering 214 kilometers. The stage went from Jingxi to Bama and was very hilly, but never truly difficult. Although there were three categorized climbs in the finale, these posed no real problem for seasoned pros. So once again, all eyes were on Paul Magnier, who was aiming for a perfect hat-trick.
After several attacks—mountain jersey wearer Peter Øxenberg was very active—three riders managed to build a meaningful gap. Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), who had escaped earlier, was joined by Liam Slock (Lotto), the departing Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek), Ryan Mullen (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), and Zhen Li (Chinese national team).
These five riders stayed ahead of the pack for a while. The peloton—led by Soudal Quick-Step and Team Jumbo-Visma (Picnic PostNL)—kept the difference under control. These teams were clearly setting up for another sprint, even though the finale shouldn't be underestimated, with three categorized climbs on the way to the finish in Bama.
Another sprint, another win for Magnier
In this hilly section, however, there was little enthusiasm for aggressive racing, resulting in another controlled approach to a sprint showdown. The three breakaway riders proved to be sitting ducks: with twenty kilometers to go, the bunch had already regrouped. Gibbons resisted the longest, but a stylish farewell victory was not granted to the South African.
There is currently no rival for Paul Magnier – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
No significant developments or events occurred in the finale, so once again the red carpet was rolled out for the sprinters. After his first two sprint wins, all eyes were on Paul Magnier, and the 21-year-old Frenchman lived up to his favorite status once more. Magnier stayed ice-calm, timed his effort perfectly, and relegated Jordi Meeus and Max Kanter to the minor podium spots.
Watch the finale here via Eurosport España
🗿🚀 Paul Magnier is simply 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞
Three out of three at the @TourofGuangxi and 12th win in just 32 days – his seventeenth of the season – after another attempt by Narváez
📺 The #TOG2025, until Sunday on @StreamMaxES pic.twitter.com/8DkBG3C8h9
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) October 16, 2025
With this, Magnier notched his third consecutive stage victory in the Gree-Tour of Guangxi and his seventeenth(!) win of 2025. With this new success in China, he closes in on race king Tadej Pogačar (the Slovenian has won twenty races this year) to within three victories. With two flat stages and a challenging hilly stage still to come, however, it seems unlikely that Magnier will surpass the Slovenian in the win count.
| Rank | Rider | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tadej Pogačar | 20 |
| 2 |  Paul Magnier | 19 |
| 3 |  Isaac Del Toro Romero | 18 |
| 4 |  Tim Merlier | 16 |
| 5 |  Mads Pedersen | 14 |
| 6 |  Matthew Brennan | 12 |
| 7 |  Olav Kooij | 11 |
| 8 |  João Almeida | 10 |
| 9 |  Jonathan Milan | 9 |
| 9 | Alexander Salby | 9 |
Gree-Tour of Guangxi| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04:50:06 | |
| 2 | " | |
| 3 | " | |
| 4 | " | |
| 5 | " | |
| 6 | " | |
| 7 | " | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | " |
