Paul Magnier toasts victory in the Prosecco Hills

Paul Magnier can now uncork a bottle of Prosecco. An important victory in a stage that, on the eve of the race, looked open to almost every possible outcome — only to end with the one scenario few had truly considered: a sprint finish.
The Soudal Quick-Step rider claimed his third stage victory of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, powering to success in the sprint finale of Stage 18 in Pieve di Soligo. Despite the rolling roads through the Prosecco Hills and the punishing Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, the day’s final obstacle, the Frenchman proved he could survive even such a brutal ramp — one famously twinned with the legendary Muur van Geraardsbergen.

Paul Magnier completes hat-trick

The stage, which started in Fai della Paganella, featured two categorised climbs and a selective finale, with the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio (1.1 km at 12.1%) placed just nine kilometres from the finish. On paper, it looked like the ideal terrain for attackers, but the peloton approached the race with great caution, keeping the breakaway firmly under control throughout the day.

After an opening phase marked by countless attacks, the day’s move eventually took shape thanks to the efforts of Mattia Bais (Team Polti–VisitMalta), Andrea Mifsud (Team Polti–VisitMalta), James Shaw (EF Education–EasyPost) and Jonas Geens (Alpecin–Premier Tech). Behind, the peloton — led primarily by Lidl–Trek — carefully managed the gap, never allowing too much freedom and keeping alive the prospect of a reduced bunch finish.

The race briefly took on a dramatic tone when Maglia Bianca holder Afonso Eulálio crashed in the feeding zone. Despite initially losing around three minutes, the Portuguese rider managed to fight his way back into the peloton and was the first to attack on the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio. Visma | Lease a Bike swiftly shut down every move, with Jonas Vingegaard setting a fierce pace in the final part of the climb. Yet despite the attempted selection, both Paul Magnier and Jonathan Milan managed to survive in the leading group.

Several late attacks followed on the run-in to the finish, including moves by Jai Hindley (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), Johannes Kulset (Uno-X Mobility) and Eulálio, but the peloton finally brought everything back together with 1.5 km remaining, setting the stage for a dramatic sprint finish.

Cà del Poggio fails to shake off the sprinters

In the final kilometres, Soudal Quick-Step took full control of proceedings. Jasper Stuyven delivered a flawless lead-out for Paul Magnier, launching the Frenchman perfectly as he surged past Edoardo Zambanini and Jonathan Milan to claim victory — a result that also sees him reclaim the Maglia Ciclamino. A win that speaks volumes about the young Frenchman’s maturity, confirming his continued rise and, above all, rewarding him with the lead in the points classification.

To check all the rankings after Stage 18, CLICK HERE