Magnier doubles up with second Giro d'Italia win.

Frenchman crosses the line a half wheel ahead of Jonathan Milan and Dylan Groenewegen.

Sprinting is truly about momentum. One win encourages the next win. Victory likes a repeat.

After triumphing on stage one, Paul Magnier (Soudal-Quickstep) did it again today in the streets of Sophia, the capital of Bulgaria.

He powered past Jonathan Milan with a smoother, more efficient sprint that seemed to increase his speed on the cobbled pavers. By contrast, the bigger, more imposing Milan was muscling his bike and not getting the same forward motion.

Magnier now has two wins in three stages. And he might not stop there.

Research in sports psychology suggests that a win can create psychological momentum, a short-term boost in confidence, effort, and perceived control that can improve later performance.

Win stage one, win stage three.

According to one study of athletes across multiple races, those who had won earlier races showed higher self-efficacy, exerted more effort, and were less affected by a negative scenario in a later race. This “winner effect” found that winning on one day predicted better performance on the next day.

Which basically means Magnier is in the zone, dialed in, focused and confident. All of which makes him just a bit faster than Milan.

That is, until Jonathan Milan wins a stage and starts to create his own “winner effect.”