Frenchman Paul Magnier replicated his performance from last year in the Tour of Slovakia, showcasing his sprinting prowess on the first stage.

Meanwhile, a young Norwegian surprised everyone with a strong third-place finish. Our streaming channel SC Play is broadcasting the race live.

At just 22 years old, Magnier has already secured over 30 professional victories. This spring, the Soudal-Quick Step rider won three stages and the green points jersey in the Giro d’Italia.
He also claimed the first four stages of the Tour of Slovakia, a feat no one had accomplished before him. Now, he was the clear favorite, delivering on that promise after 163 km to Košice, the same city where he won the second stage last year.

“I felt good on the climbs, even though Lotto-Intermarché was pushing hard to shake me off. We had good control as a team, and in the end, I just went for it,” says Magnier, who was so dominant in the sprint that he finished one second ahead of the rest of the field, led in by Belgian Jenthe Biermans from Cofidis.

Watch Thursday’s Stage 2 live here.

Just behind, the surprising Sander Granberg from Norwegian Team Drali-Repsol emerged. With a perfectly timed sprint, the 22-year-old from Sandnes secured third place. This achievement allows the sprinter to wear the white youth jersey in Thursday’s second stage. He currently sits second in that classification, while Magnier leads in the yellow jersey.

The first stage, featuring five categorized climbs, was marked by a breakaway of six riders. Hungarian Erik Fetter from Team United Shipping took the climbing jersey, edging out Swedish Carl Kagevi from Lucky Sport. The Swede received a consolation prize by being named the most aggressive rider of the day.

You can find the results here.

Also Read: How to watch Tour of Slovakia on SC Play

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