Magnier keeps winning streak going in Tour of Guangxi opener

Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) continued his remarkable run of winning form by sprinting to victory on stage 1 of the Tour of Guangxi in Fanchenggang.

The Frenchman delivered a towering sprint to claim the win ahead of Max Kanter (XDS-Astana) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). It was the 21-year-old's 16th win of the season and his second at WorldTour level following a triumph at the Tour de Pologne in August.

Despite the wide roads on the run-in, the finale was marred by a crash near the head of the peloton, but Magnier was well placed throughout and he proceeded to deliver on his status as the day's favourite.

The opening stage of the race saw the peloton take in three laps of a flat circuit around China’s southernmost port city. As ever on the Gulf of Tonkin, the humidity was perhaps the biggest obstacle of a day that clearly lent itself to a bunch sprint.

Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon-AG2R), Julius Johansen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Rémy Rochas (Groupama - FDJ) were the day’s first attackers, but their move was swept up before the midpoint, where the speed was such that the bunch briefly broke in two.

Attila Valter (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-Samsic) forged clear with 92km remaining. The duo established a lead of 1:30 over the peloton, but a coalition of Soudal-QuickStep, Cofidis and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe ensured the gap would grow no further.