Paul Magnier sprints to Hamburg Cyclassics victory, his seventh win of the 2026 season

Race summary

Paul Magnier claimed the 29th edition of the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg on Sunday, August 16, 2026, securing his first one-day WorldTour victory. The 22-year-old French rider from Soudal Quick-Step outsprinted Dutchman Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana) and New Zealander Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) on the streets of Hamburg after a 205.3-kilometre course between Buxtehude and Hamburg. The win is Magnier's seventh of the 2026 season and the 31st of his career since he turned professional in 2024. He succeeds Irishman Rory Townsend (Unibet Rose Rockets) as champion of the German classic.

The race was decisively shaped by the accelerations of Mexican rider Isaac del Toro (UAE), who finished third in the most recent Tour de France. On the final of five ascents of the Waseberg, a climb of just under one kilometre averaging 8.4%, del Toro's pace with about 15 kilometres remaining eliminated two of Magnier's principal rivals: Italian champion Jonathan Milan and Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij. Del Toro, nicknamed "Torito" (little bull), first brought an end to a long breakaway of six riders that included Frenchman Benjamin Thomas, then inadvertently placed Magnier in a favourable position for the finale.

The sprint

After del Toro's accelerations reduced the front group to around 50 riders, Magnier's Soudal Quick-Step team took control of the run-in. Jasper Stuyven, supported by Yves Lampaert among others, led the train into the final kilometres, delivering Magnier at the 500-metre mark. The Frenchman powered clear to win convincingly on the line, adding the Hamburg Cyclassics to a palmarès that already includes three stages of the 2026 Giro d'Italia.

Belgian riders Milan Fretin (Cofidis) finished sixth and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché) tenth. De Lie had placed second in this race the previous year. The last and only Belgian winner of the Hamburg Cyclassics remains Johan Museeuw, who triumphed in 2002, 24 years ago.

Magnier's 2026 season

Magnier's campaign began with a prolific first half of the season. He collected two stage wins at the Tour d'Algarve, three stages at the Giro d'Italia, and a victory at the Muur Geraardsbergen Classic in Belgium in mid-June. After that run of six victories, he took a summer break and did not line up for the Tour de France. He returned to competition at the Tour of Poland in early August, where Jonathan Milan beat him twice in mass sprints. The Hamburg Cyclassics, a race traditionally promised to sprinters, marked his return to the top step of the podium.

Born in Laredo, Texas, Magnier has been described as a rider whose capabilities extend beyond pure sprint finishes, combining puncheur and sprinter qualities. His Soudal Quick-Step team, noted for its mastery of lead-out exercises, provided the platform for his first WorldTour one-day triumph.