Massive crash disrupts the opening Giro d'Italia stage — Magnier times it right from the leftover group
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Follow us on GooglePaul Magnier has won the first stage of the Giro d'Italia. As expected, the Bulgarian opener ended in a bunch sprint — but, as perhaps also expected, the finale was marred by a massive crash. Magnier escaped the carnage along with a handful of others, and edged out Tobias Lund Andresen in a tight finish to take the stage and the pink jersey.
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It is rare for the pure sprinters to get the chance to contest the leader's jersey on day one of the Giro d'Italia. Last year, it was Mads Pedersen who won a sprint — but that came from a heavily reduced group, with around forty riders left over following the climbs in Albania. In Italy, the opening stage is almost always a time trial: the last genuine flat mass-sprint opener was back in 2017.
That year, a bunch sprint was ultimately avoided by the Austrian Lukas Pöstlberger, who won from a breakaway — but Friday's course in Bulgaria was even flatter than that. Just 872 metres of climbing were spread across the 147-kilometre route. Heuveltjes were the least of anyone's worries.
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An Italian-Spanish duo forms the first breakaway of this Giro
Shortly after 2pm local time — 1pm in the Netherlands — the riders were sent on their way, and the 109th edition of the Giro d'Italia was officially under way. Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti VisitMalta) immediately took the opportunity to ride clear.
The Italian-Spanish duo became the Giro's first breakaway of this edition. With so many sprinters in attendance and the unique chance of claiming the pink jersey, there was no shortage of motivation to give chase. As a result, Tarozzi and Sevilla were kept on a short leash, their advantage hovering around two to two-and-a-half minutes.
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Milan and Groves stake their claims for the purple jersey
The most important battle at the front of the race was for the mountains classification. The first mountain sprint, however, was convincingly won by Sevilla, leaving Tarozzi to focus on the intermediate sprints — the spoils were neatly divided between the two escapees. Back in the peloton, Lidl-Trek, Unibet Rose Rockets and Soudal Quick-Step controlled the move.
At the day's first intermediate sprint, Jonathan Milan and Kaden Groves made their intentions clear in the battle for the maglia ciclamino. Milan and Groves took five and three points respectively for the purple jersey. Later, at the Red Bull Kilometre, bonus seconds were up for grabs — with António Morgado ultimately pocketing two of them from within the peloton.
Read on below the video!
Breakaway caught, bunch sprint decides the stage
After the Red Bull Kilometre, the two leaders' advantage evaporated rapidly. With around 20 kilometres to go, their race was run and the sprinters began to prepare for the incoming bunch sprint. For a long time, things were surprisingly calm — though fast. Soudal Quick-Step moved to the front, while at the back of the peloton a dog briefly interrupted proceedings.
In the final kilometres the speed was extraordinary, the peloton swinging across the wide roads from left to right. For a long time that looked manageable — but inside the final kilometre, as the road suddenly narrowed, the front part of the peloton went down in a catastrophic crash. Only a handful of riders escaped, Magnier among them. He had the perfect timing, came over Lund Andresen at the death, and took both the stage win and the pink jersey.
Results of stage 1 Giro d'Italia 2026
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Is the Giro the race that happens before the Tour? And does winning the mountains jersey mean Carapaz scored the most points on climbs? Which race was everyone’s favourite?bikebuffj05-11-2026
- How did Mathieu van der Poel miss the list? His classics results surely put him in the conversation.sprocketspiny05-11-2026
- McNulty deserves more credit than his ranking suggests. A world title and all that work as a domestique make for a superb season.tourdeforce905-11-2026
- Seixas winning Lombardia at 20 is astonishing. The “next Pogačar” label feels a bit premature, though—let him build his own story before piling on the comparisons.andrewf05-11-2026
- Pogačar’s palmarès is ridiculous, but Van Aert deserves a special mention for Roubaix. Beating Tadej in the velodrome was one of the moments of the season.cyclechamp4505-11-2026
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
