Sprinters were the stars of the show as the Giro d’Italia officially got underway over the weekend, with Frenchman Paul Magnier stamping his authority after snatching two stage wins.
Bulgaria played host for this year’s Grande Partenza and did not disappoint, offering uphill fights and thrilling finales for the first three stages.
While Soudal Quick-Step’s Magnier proved his sprinting prowess, XDS-Astana’s Guilleromo Thomas Silva wears the Maglia Rosa as the Giro heads back to Italy on Tuesday.
Super sprinter Magnier trumps rivals
Stage three started with three breakaway riders – Bardiani CSF 7 Saber’s Manuele Tarozzi and Polti VisitMalta’s Alessandro Tonelli and Diego Pablo Sevilla – setting a harsh pace for the peloton as they headed to Sofia.
Calm descended upon the peloton by then, and the group only managed to close that gap 600 metres before the finish line.
That paved the way for a weighted sprint battle, similar to what transpired in the first two stages.
Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek launched his attack first, but Magnier was quick to attach to his wheel and sprinted strongly on the final cobbled metres in a tight showdown to take his second stage win in the Giro.
Milan finished second while Dylan Groenewegen of the Unibet Rose Rockets took third.
Magnier was obviously happy for the win, telling reporters afterwards: “Winning two stages out of three in Bulgaria feels like a dream.”
He showed he could challenge the sport’s top sprinters after winning the opening stage on Friday.
“I’m really happy. Beating Jonathan Milan and Dylan Groenewegen makes me feel like one of the best sprinters in the world,” he added.
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Vingegaard shows aggression as Silva wears pink
Current world no. 2 Jonas Vingegaard played it safe for the most part but allowed his rivals a glimpse of what they could expect from him in the next three weeks.
Vingegaard took everyone by surprise when he attacked on the climb to the Monastery on stage two after being led out by teammate Davide Piganzoli.
Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Lennert Van Eetvelt of Lotto Intermarché quickly responded to his attack, and the trio formed a breakaway.
They were caught as they neared the finish, having hesitated from going for the win.
It eventually allowed Christian Scaroni to lead out teammate Silva to take both the stage and the GC lead.
“I’m over the moon. It’s only my second stage at the Giro d’Italia and I’ve already managed to win – and even take the Maglia Rosa,” the Uruguayan cyclist said after stage two.
For Vingegaard’s Team Visma – Lease a Bike, the tactic was to ensure the Dane finished safely.
“The goal was to come through the opening stages safely, and with Jonas we succeeded in doing that,” sports director Marc Reef said.
“He rode a strong finale yesterday, which gives us a lot of confidence for the rest of this race.”
Vingegaard is aiming to add the Giro d’Italia under his palmares, which will make him one of the few riders to have won all three Grand Tours.
If he wins the Giro this year, he will have earned all grand titles ahead of his greatest rival Tadej Pogačar, who has yet to win the Vuelta a Espana.
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UAE in GC dilemma after major crash
While the first three days of the Giro provided thrilling sprint showdowns, the race was also marred with crashes that took out three riders of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Jay Vine, Marc Soler, and Adam Yates, alongside Santiago Buitrago of Bahrain Victorious and Derek Gee-West of Lidl-Trek, were caught in a major crash on a gentle downhill section 20km ahead of the finish line on stage two.
Vine and Soler were forced to abandon the race, but Yates decided to continue despite his injuries and finished 14 minutes down.
Yates, who was riding as a GC contender after his twin Simon won the Giro for Visma last year, eventually pulled out of the race following medical check-ups.
Stage one also saw a crash in the last few metres of the finale, which brought down Erlend Blikra of Uno-X Mobility, Kaden Groves of Alpecin-PremierTech, Matteo Moschetti of Pinarello Q36.5, and Groenewegen, among others.
The Giro now heads back to Italy for stage four in Calabria on Tuesday, where everyone will be waiting to see if Silva will be able to defend his lead, or someone else will be wearing the coveted Maglia Rosa.
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