Paul Magnier continued his winning streak at the 2025 Cudi Coffee-Tour of Guangxi, with the French phenom from Soudal Quick-Step claiming his second consecutive stage victory in a bunch sprint finish at Jinxiu Ancient Town.
Stage 2, the Chongzuo to Jingxi route, transitioned from coastal scenery to mountainous terrain. The stage started at Chongzuo’s Nine Oxen Climb Square and finished in Jingxi, renowned for its landscape.
Due to natural conditions, the stage distance was shortened from 179.6 km to 177.3 km. The course featured two intermediate sprints at 92.2 km and 165 km, and one Category 2 climb at 148 km, which spanned 336 meters of elevation gain at an average gradient of 3.6%.
A six-rider breakaway animated most of the stage, forming shortly after the 11:10 AM start. The group consisted of Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ), Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Stan Dewulf (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Peter Øxenberg (Ineos Grenadiers), and Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL).
With a relatively flat first half, the peloton, led by Soudal Quick-Step and XDS-Astana, comfortably controlled the gap, holding it around 1 minute 30 seconds. Rain arrived with 105 km remaining, slowing the break’s progress and reducing their advantage.
The breakaway riders contested the first intermediate sprint, with Dewulf taking the honors. As the race entered Jingxi and approached the Category 2 climb, the peloton increased its pace, narrowing the gap. Øxenberg proved strongest on the climb, securing the mountain points. He also went on to win the second intermediate sprint ahead of Dewulf and van den Broek.
The breakaway was finally reeled in with 5 km to go. A brief, late attack from Jonathan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was quickly neutralized, setting up a frantic finale as sprint trains from Picnic PostNL, EF Education-EasyPost, Jayco-AlUla, and Soudal Quick-Step organized at the front.
In the final dash to the line, Magnier demonstrated his superior speed once again, powering to victory. Pavel Bittner of Picnic PostNL finished second, while Stanisław Aniołkowski of Cofidis took third.
With his second win, Magnier solidifies his overall lead and continues to wear the Cudi Coffee red leader’s jersey. He also retains the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Bank blue jersey as sprint leader and the Li-Ning white jersey as best young rider. Peter Øxenberg secured the “Baisuishan” polka-dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification, and Stan Dewulf was awarded the stage’s most combative rider honor.
“Today marks my 16th professional victory, and I’m incredibly happy,” said a delighted Magnier after his win. “The team delivered me perfectly to the ideal position before the final sprint; this victory is all thanks to their hard work!”
The 2025 Tour of Guangxi continues tomorrow with Stage 3, the race’s longest at 213.5 kilometers from Jingxi to Bama. Featuring one Category 2 and two Category 3 climbs concentrated in the final 60 kilometers, the stage promises a fierce battle among the contenders.
