runner-up to Pogacar, the most prolific French runner for twenty-eight years, an unprecedented hat-trick… The figures from Paul Magnier's crazy season

The Frenchman, thanks to a huge end to the season, finished the year just behind the Slovenian in terms of number of victories.

This season he will not become the expected successor to Christophe Moreau, the last French winner of a World Tour race, the Critérium du Dauphiné, in 2007. Behind on the most difficult stage, Paul Magnier nevertheless won five of the six stages of the Tour of Guangxi (China), the last World Tour race of the season, which ended on Sunday October 19.

The conclusion of a prosperous year for the 21-year-old sprinter, thanks in particular to an exceptional end to the season, where he won almost every race day since mid-September. A look back at the season which marked Paul Magnier's entry into the big world.

19: second most successful rider of the season behind Pogacar

A Frenchman therefore ends the year runner-up to Tadej Pogacar in terms of victories. Behind the Slovenian's 20 successes, Paul Magnier concludes 2025 with 19 bouquets, including six on the World Tour, the highest level in the world. Certainly, the prestige of his victories is very far from those of the double world champion, but the Frenchman is only 21 years old and is only playing his second professional season. In 2024, he had already won five times, bringing his total to 24 victories in two seasons.

In detail, Paul Magnier is ahead of his teammate Tim Merlier and Isaac del Toro (16) on the podium for the season. The Frenchman even has the luxury of finishing the year ahead of the two established leaders of his Soudal-Quick-Step team: Tim Merlier and Remco Evenepoel (eight victories) but also all the best sprinters in the world like Mads Pedersen (14 victories), Olav Kooij (11), Jonathan Milan (9) and Jasper Philipsen (7).

28: Most victorious Frenchman in a season for twenty-eight years and Laurent Jalabert in 1997

You have to go back to the last century to find a Frenchman as victorious over a year as Paul Magnier. It was in 1997 and it bore the seal of Laurent Jalabert, the year in which “Le Panda” notably won Paris-Nice, the Tour of Lombardy and the world time trial title.

Since then, the closest to have come was the newly retired Arnaud Démare, who had 15 wins in 2014.

14: his number of victories over the last month of competition

Since the start of his harvest at the GP of Fourmies, last September 14, until this Sunday and his victory on the final stage of the Tour of Guangxi, Paul Magnier has won 14 victories in eighteen days of racing, or 78% of victories in his five races contested (GP of Fourmies, Tour of Slovakia, Tour of Croatia and Tour of Guangxi). As of June 1, Paul Magnier had only one success, a sign of his sudden acceleration at the end of the year.

Apart from the three steep stages inaccessible to him, the one who defines himself as a “classics rider capable of sprinting well” only left victory once, during the final stage of the Tour of Croatia, where he was beaten in the sprint by the Israeli Oded Kogut.

2: second most victorious runner in history at his age

By concluding his year with a victory on Sunday, Paul Magnier became the second most victorious rider in history at his age (24 victories at 21 years and 188 days). He is ahead of the 16 successes of Remco Evenepoel, but also Peter Sagan (13) and Tadej Pogacar (12).

Only the Italian Giuseppe Saronni does better, with 29 victories at exactly the same age (excluding general classifications) between 1977 and 1979.

3: only rider to have won three stages in a row in the World Tour this season

It's the record he won't share with anyone this season. By winning the first three stages of the Tour of Guangxi from October 14 to 16, Paul Magnier became the only rider to win three days in a row in a World Tour event this season. “Once I had my first victory, I was more relaxed and every victory that followed from that moment on was a bonus. I had an unforgettable week in China”reacted the Frenchman.

If Mads Pedersen has won four Giro successes, he has not won two in a row. Tadej Pogacar did it on the Tour de France during the 12th and 13th stages of Hautacam and the time trial of Peyragudes. But he finished 2nd during the 14th stage, won by Thymen Arensman.

11e rider since the creation of the World Tour to win at least 18 victories in a year

Friday October 17, Paul Magnier entered a very closed circle: he became only the 11th rider since the creation of the first division (named the Pro Tour from 2005 to 2010 then World Tour) to win at least 18 victories over a year, all racing divisions combined.

Next to him, there are only legends: André Greipel (three times), Mark Cavendish and Tadej Pogacar (twice), Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert, Alexander Kristoff, Alessandro Petacchi, Peter Sagan, Jasper Philipsen and Elia Viviani (once).