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Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) won a drastically reduced sprint after a huge pileup marred the final of the first stage of the Giro d’Italia.
The young Frenchman was one of only around 10 riders who were in front of a mass crash in the final 600m of the Giro’s opening stage that split the peloton in two.
Magnier nipped Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon-CMA CGM) at the line in Burgas, Bulgaria, to claim the first pink jersey of the race.
Ethan Vernon (NSN) was a length behind in third.
It was a dream start to the race for the 22-year-old Magnier after he lost his legs through the spring classics.
“It was really hectic in the final, because it was a pretty easy day and everybody was very fresh,” Magnier said in his winner’s interview.
“I was in a good position because we knew it would be tricky with the narrow road in the final. We just tried to get in a good position, and then in the final my team did an amazing job, and I could finish it off,” Magnier continued. “I’m super proud.”
Friday was a disaster for many others however.
Several riders were seen with ripped-up jerseys and covered in road rash after around a dozen riders came down hard as the peloton zoomed through the narrow finishing chute.
The tangle of bodies and bikes blocked the road and eliminated several pre-stage hopefuls from the sprint, including Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets). The latter was seen clutching at his wrist in what’s a high-profile grand tour debut for his audacious YouTube channel–inspired team.
The final kilometer was lined with barriers with protruding feet that splayed into the roadway.
Overall GC favorite Jonas Vingegaard appeared to have escaped unscathed after Visma-Lease a Bike held position at the back of the bunch.
The crash occurred in the so-called “safe zone” in the final kilometers and so no riders lost time at the line.
Their real losses will be felt as the medical checks come in.
A first ever grande partenza in Bulgaria
The peloton rolled along the Black Sea coast Friday and into the port city Burgas for the first of three stages in Bulgaria.
The stage was very flat, and very uneventful, for a very long time.
A token doomed break of two went away early, and the sprint teams let them have their time in front of the TV cameras.
It wasn’t until deep inside the final 40km that the top sprinter teams – Quick-Step, Unibet Rose Rockets, and Lidl-Trek – lit the burners to reel them in at around 23km to go.
The Giro remains in Bulgaria for a longer lumpier stage that should deliver a few more fireworks on Saturday. Can the sprinters survive the 4km, 7-percent hill in the final 15km?
The pink jersey could be at stake.
Giro d’Italia stage 1 results
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