Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step emerged victorious from a hectic bunch sprint to win the opening stage of the 2025 Cudi Coffee-Tour of Guangxi, beating Max Kanter of XDS-Astana into second place. Jordi Meeus of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rounded out the podium in third.
The 2025 edition of the UCI WorldTour race features six stages, running from Fangchenggang to Nanning. The route includes city circuits, rolling hills, and a mountain finish, covering a total competitive distance of 1,017.1 kilometers across 1,043 kilometers of total racing, with 25.9 kilometers designated as neutralized. Transfer distances add another 370 kilometers, bringing the event’s total travel to 1,413 kilometers.
Stage 1 was a 148.8-kilometer city circuit race in Fangchenggang, consisting of four laps. Two intermediate sprints were located at 35.2 km and 110.9 km.
Fangchenggang, a key gateway city in southwest China, is the country’s only city connected to ASEAN by sea, land, and river. A young, emerging port and industrial city, it is also known for its picturesque bay and is the sole settlement of the Jing ethnic group. The stage highlighted the city’s scenic coastal views, passing concentrated urban landscapes and the eastern section of Guomen Avenue.
As expected for a flat stage, a bunch sprint always seemed likely. However, riders from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Arkéa-B&B Hotels, UAE Team Emirates, and Visma | Lease a Bike launched aggressive attacks to contest the intermediate sprints. Visma’s Attila Valter and Arkéa’s Mathis Le Berre formed the day’s main breakaway, staying clear until the peloton reeled them back with 20 kilometers remaining.
The sprint setup was marred by a crash near the 500-meter mark, involving several riders from Visma and UAE Team Emirates, though no serious injuries were reported. In the chaotic finale, veteran Fernando Gaviria launched first, with Kanter quickly latching onto his wheel. Magnier, however, powered through on the left side with a strong lead-out from teammate Dries Van Gestel, surging past his rivals to take the win.
The victory gave the French sprint talent a perfect start to the Tour of Guangxi. The win also earned him the Cudi Coffee red jersey as overall leader, the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Bank blue jersey as points classification leader, and the Li-Ning white jersey as best young rider. Mathis Le Berre, number 13 from Arkéa-B&B Hotels, received the stage’s combativity award for his efforts in the breakaway.
This victory marks the 21-year-old Magnier’s 15th win of the season, an impressive tally. “It feels great to win the stage, and the whole team did an amazing job today,” said the stage winner. “I’m really enjoying the Tour of Guangxi course; it’s beautiful and very well designed. While not many people speak English here, I could feel the cheers from the locals on the circuit, which was a huge encouragement for me.”
