PAUL MAGNIER | Inside the Flamme Rouge, Sprint Craft, Marginal Gains (Part 2)

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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