Picnic PostNL end their WorldTour drought in Guangxi with an unexpected win for Frits Biesterbos

Frits Biesterbos has been the big surprise of the second stage of the Tour de Guangxi 2026. The Dutchman from Picnic PostNL won a very tight sprint against Paul Magnier and Olav Kooij, achieving his first victory as a professional and, in the process, giving his team the first WorldTour win of the entire season. Magnier, who had won six of the last seven stages contested in this race, maintains the overall lead.

Biesterbos surprises the big favorites in Jingxi

The second day of the Tour de Guangxi took place over 179.5 kilometers between Chongzuo and Jingxi, with a route that included a second-category climb of 8.5 kilometers at 3.4% about 35 kilometers from the finish.

The day's breakaway consisted of Martin Tjøtta, Chenglu Liu, Dries De Bondt, and Jonas Rickaert. However, the work of the teams interested in the sprint kept the break under control.

RECOMENDADO

Picnic PostNL denies that it will leave the WorldTour in 2027

Paul Magnier wins the opening stage of the Tour of Guangxi and overtakes Gaviria’s stage-win record

The 2026 Tour of Guangxi brings the WorldTour season to a close, with Ayuso, Pidcock and Vauquelin among the favourites

Another transfer bombshell: Filippo Ganna leaves INEOS and joins Lidl-Trek until 2029

MAAP and Mental Athletic unveil a collection blending cycling, fashion and urban culture

BBB Cycling unveils three new gloves for riding in cold, wet weather without sacrificing handlebar feel

On the final climb, Javier Romo and Jhonatan Narváez tried to surprise the peloton, managing to catch up with the last escapees. The move was ultimately neutralized, although attacks continued in the following kilometers, with riders like Juan Ayuso, Tom Pidcock, and Kévin Vauquelin particularly attentive.

Finally, the stage was resolved in a mass finish, but this time the outcome was very different from what was expected.

Paul Magnier launched his sprint from far out, about 300 meters from the finish, but Biesterbos had managed to position himself on his wheel and took advantage of the final meters to surpass him. Olav Kooij also moved up positions to cross the finish line practically in parallel with both, in a finish that required confirmation of the classification to determine the winner. 

The victory is a true relief for Picnic PostNL, which was the only one of the 18 WorldTour teams that had not yet won a race of this category in 2026. Moreover, it is only their third win of the season across all competitions. In this situation, the team has recently denied that it was considering voluntarily descending in category, as some reports had indicated.

For Biesterbos, 24 years old and who was still competing in the Continental category during 2025, this is his first professional victory. A result that comes after having narrowly missed out on victory recently with a second place in the Gooikse Pijl and a third place in the Münsterland Giro.

Magnier retains the leader's jersey with a six-second advantage over Biesterbos and ten over Sam Welsford.

The Tour de Guangxi will continue this Thursday with the third stage, between Jingxi and Bama, the longest of this edition at nearly 212 kilometers and a more rugged route.

Classification of the second stage of the Tour de Guangxi 2026

1. Frits Biesterbos (Picnic PostNL) – 3:45:19
2. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) – +00
3. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) – +00
4. Max Kanter (XDS Astana) – +00
5. Robin Froidevaux (Tudor Pro Cycling) – +00