2025 COTTI COFFEE UCI WorldTour Tour of Guangxi Stage 6 | Paul Magnier Secures Fifth Victory, Paul Double Claims GC Leader in Red Jersey

On October 19, the final stage of the 2025 COTTI COFFEE UCI WorldTour Tour of Guangxi (hereinafter referred to as the 2025 Tour of Guangxi) took place. After five laps covering a total of 133.1 kilometers, the race concluded with a bunch sprint. Paul Magnier of the Soudal-Quick-Step team won the stage, securing his fifth victory in this year's event and setting a new record. Stanisław Aniołkowsk of the Cofidis team and Paul Penhoët of the Groupama-FDJ team finished second and third, respectively.

Paul Double claimed the GC rider, while Victor Lafay of the Decathlon-AG2R team and Jhonatan Narváez of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG team finished second and third on general classification.

The sixth stage of the 2025 Tour of Guangxi was a city circuit in Nanning, with both the start and finish lines set at the Guangxi Culture and Art Center. The stage covered a distance of 133.1 kilometers, with each lap being 27.3 kilometers long, totaling five laps. Two intermediate sprints were set at 24.7 kilometers and 78.9 kilometers, respectively, during the first and third laps. Three category 2 climbs were located at 5.7 kilometers, 59.9 kilometers, and 114.2 kilometers during the first, third, and fifth laps. Riders first cycled along the banks of the Yong River before heading towards Qingxiu Mountain, which featured a steep 1.4-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 11.7%. As the riders had to complete five laps, they had to tackle this challenging climb five times.

At 2:00 PM, the opening ceremony of the 2025 Tour of Guangxi was held at the Guangxi Culture and Art Center. Before the race, a special retirement ceremony was held for two riders: Ryan Gibbons of the Lotto team and Nans Peters of the Decathlon-AG2R team, celebrating their illustrious careers.

Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi, is known for its diverse population, including Zhuang, Han, Yao, Miao, and Dong ethnic groups. It is renowned as the "Green City of China" and has received numerous accolades, including the UN-Habitat Award, National Civilized City, National Ecological Garden City, National Sanitary City, National Forest City, and China's Excellent Tourism City. Nanning's strategic location makes it a key node in the Belt and Road Initiative, connecting the South China Economic Circle, Southwest China Economic Circle, and China-ASEAN Economic Circle. As the permanent host city of the China-ASEAN Expo, Nanning is accelerating its development into an international metropolis focused on opening up and cooperation with ASEAN countries, striving to write a new chapter in Chinese-style modernization.

Five kilometers into the race, Reuben Thompson of the Lotto team, Léandre Lozouet of the Arkéa-B&B Hotels team, Nans Peters of the Decathlon-AG2R team, Clément Davy of the Groupama-FDJ team, and Jan Maas of the Cofidis team broke away from the peloton to contest the first category 2 climb at 5.7 kilometers. Reuben Thompson, Léandre Lozouet, and Nans Peters took the top three spots at the climb. As a result, Simon Guglielmi of the Arkéa-B&B Hotels team secured the Ganten polka dot jersey, symbolizing the King of the Mountains.

The second intermediate sprint at 78.9 kilometers was contested by Reuben Thompson, Ewen Costiou of the Arkéa-B&B Hotels team, and Nans Peters.

After the first lap, Nans Peters, who is set to retire, claimed the first intermediate sprint points. Subsequently, a second group of 23 riders, including Paul Double of the Jayco-AlUla team, who held the red jersey, and Jørgen Nordhagen of the Team Visma｜Lease a Bike, who held the white jersey, formed and maintained control over the time gap with the breakaway group.

In the final lap, Victor Lafay of the Decathlon-AG2R team launched an attack but was soon caught. Paul Magnier, who had already secured four consecutive victories, joined the leading group in the last 10 kilometers. At this point, all the riders in the red, blue, and white jerseys were in the leading group. The race entered the final sprint, and Paul Magnier of the Soudal-Quick-Step team, with his exceptional sprinting ability, claimed his fifth victory in the 2025 Tour of Guangxi, breaking his own record set in the fourth stage.

After this stage, the various honor jerseys were finally decided: Paul Double, with his outstanding performance in the Queen Stage at Nongla, claimed the "COTTI COFFEE" red leader's jersey, symbolizing the overall champion; Paul Magnier, with five victories, defended the "Guangxi Beibu Gulf Bank" blue leader's jersey, symbolizing the points leader; Simon Guglielmi of the Arkéa-B&B Hotels team secured the Ganten polka dot jersey, symbolizing the King of the Mountains; Jørgen Nordhagen of the Team Visma｜Lease a Bike claimed the "Li-Ning" white leader's jersey, symbolizing the best young rider; and the Team Visma｜Lease a Bike won the best team honor.

Thus, the six stages of the 2025 Tour of Guangxi have come to an end. Over the past six days, the riders' wheels have spun rapidly across the hot land of Guangxi, leaving their marks in places like Fangchenggang, Chongzuo, Jingxi, Bama, Jinchengjiang, Yizhou, Laibin, Nongla, and Nanning. The riders' sweat has fallen on flat roads, hills, and mountains, covering a total distance of 1,017.1 kilometers. The audience has witnessed many exciting moments, and although the race has ended, the stories of the Tour of Guangxi continue to be shared among cycling enthusiasts.