Paul Magnier makes amends in Guangxi with a record-breaking win and reclaims the lead

Paul Magnier has once again imposed his law in the Tour of Guangxi 2026. Just 24 hours after losing a nearly certain victory when his foot slipped off the pedal during the sprint, the Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step triumphed in the fourth stage, contested between Bama and Tian'e. A victory that allows him to regain the lead and make history by becoming, with seven victories, the rider who has won the most stages in the Chinese race.

Magnier regains the lead and surpasses Fernando Gaviria's record

The fourth day promised to be one of the most demanding of this edition, with a medium mountain route that invited attacks. However, for the fourth consecutive day, the victory was decided in a sprint.

The initial breakaway consisted of Dries De Bondt, Baptiste Veistroffer, Robbe Ghys, and Enzo Paleni. The four maintained their pace with a peloton in which Picnic PostNL, Lidl-Trek, and other teams worked to control the differences.

In the final climbs came the most dangerous move. Kévin Vauquelin and Louis Barré attacked from the peloton and managed to catch up with the breakaway about 23 kilometers from the finish. However, the chase ultimately neutralized the attempt 12 kilometers from the finish.

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Tension increased in the last kilometers, and a large crash about 800 meters from the finish split the peloton, leaving only a small group in a position to contest the victory.

This time Magnier did not give his rivals a chance. After the excellent work of his teammates, the Frenchman decisively surpassed Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Max Kanter (XDS Astana). Frits Biesterbos, who had won the second stage and had taken the lead after finishing second in the third, finished fourth. 

The victory marks Magnier's second win in this edition and his seventh in the Tour of Guangxi, surpassing Fernando Gaviria's six. It also allows him to regain the leader's jersey that he lost yesterday when Milan Fretin won the third stage taking advantage of his pedal problem.

After four stages, Magnier has accumulated two victories, one second place, and a historic record, in addition to once again leading the general classification with a ten-second advantage over Biesterbos and sixteen over Kanter.

An important absence was Olav Kooij, who did not start the fourth stage, meaning he will no longer be able to contest any more victories in this edition.

The Tour of Guangxi will continue tomorrow, Saturday, October 17, with the fifth stage between Jinchengjiang and Yizhou, covering 170.6 kilometers. It will be the last opportunity for sprinters before the decisive uphill finish at Nongla, where the general classification will be resolved on Sunday.

Results of the fourth stage of the Tour of Guangxi 2026

1. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) – 3:41:55
2. Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM)
3. Max Kanter (XDS Astana)
4. Frits Biesterbos (Picnic PostNL)
5. Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious)
6. Sebastian Kolze Changizi (Tudor)
7. Brady Gilmore (NSN Cycling)
8. Loe van Belle (Visma | Lease a Bike)
9. Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
10. Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)

General classification after the fourth stage

1. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) – 14:59:06
2. Frits Biesterbos (Picnic PostNL) – +10"
3. Max Kanter (XDS Astana) – +16"
4. Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM) – +20"
5. Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ United) – +20"