The 2016 Giro d’Italia has its first leader, and it came after an opening stage that was far more chaotic than it appeared on paper. Paul Magnier (Soudal-Quick Step) won the sprint in Burgas and became the first wearer of the Maglia Rosa (pink jersey) of this edition after a finish completely shattered by a massive crash within the final kilometer.
The Grande Partenza began in Nesebar, a historic city on the Black Sea coast and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a 147-kilometer stage and just 500 meters of elevation gain that, from the outset, clearly pointed to a mass sprint. And so it was, until it wasn’t.
The stage unfolded almost exactly as expected throughout the day. Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF-7 Saber) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti-Visit Malta) led the day’s breakaway, building a lead of nearly two minutes while the sprinters’ teams controlled the race without much difficulty.
Soudal-Quick Step, Lidl-Trek, and Unibet Rose Rockets took on much of the chase, with Paul Magnier, Jonathan Milan, and Dylan Groenewegen respectively in mind. Meanwhile, GC contenders like Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) opted to remain completely inconspicuous, riding at the back of the peloton for almost the entire stage to avoid unnecessary risks.
The race entered Burgas at speeds exceeding 60 km/h, and the tension began to rise in the final six kilometers. The finish was very fast, with wide roads, a slight uphill in the last kilometer, and the final corner located just 300 meters from the finish line.
Everything exploded in the final kilometer. A massive crash completely split the peloton, leaving only about ten riders truly contesting the victory. Soudal-Quick Step emerged perfectly positioned from the chaos, and Magnier finished off the team’s work to win the final sprint and claim his first WorldTour victory in a Grand Tour.
At just 22 years old, Paul Magnier definitively confirmed the enormous leap forward he had been hinting at in recent months. The Frenchman arrived at the Giro as one of the fastest riders in the peloton and made his ambitions clear from the outset. “I’m very motivated and I’ve prepared well,” he explained before the start.
Venezuelan Orluis Aular (Movistar Team) was the best South American rider, finishing in 24th place. Regarding the three Colombians, all three finished in the peloton with the same time as the winner: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious) in 43rd, Einer Rubio (Movistar Team) in 94th, and Egan Bernal (Netcompany Ineos) in 115th.
The Giro continues this Saturday with the second stage between Burgas and Veliko Tarnovo, a 221-kilometer stage with 2,600 meters of elevation gain where the race could start to get considerably tougher than in this opening stage along the Black Sea.
Giro d’Italia (2.UWT)
Results Stage 1 | Nessebar – Burgas (147 km)
| 1 | Paul Magnier | Soudal Quick-Step | 3:21:08 |
| 2 | Tobias Lund Andresen | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | m.t. |
| 3 | Ethan Vernon | NSN Cycling Team | m.t. |
| 4 | Jonathan Milan | Lidl – Trek | m.t. |
| 5 | Madis Mihkels | EF Education – EasyPost | m.t. |
| 6 | Giovanni Lonardi | Team Polti VisitMalta | m.t. |
| 7 | Pascal Ackermann | Team Jayco AlUla | m.t. |
| 8 | Tord Gudmestad | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | m.t. |
| 9 | Max Walscheid | Lidl – Trek | m.t. |
| 10 | Dries Van Gestel | Soudal Quick-Step | m.t. |
Ranking General Individual
| 1 | Paul Magnier | Soudal Quick-Step | 3:20:58 |
| 2 | Tobias Lund Andresen | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | 0:04 |
| 3 | Manuele Tarozzi | Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber | 0:04 |
| 4 | Ethan Vernon | NSN Cycling Team | 0:06 |
| 5 | Diego Sevilla | Team Polti VisitMalta | 0:06 |
| 6 | António Morgado | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | 0:08 |
| 7 | Jonathan Milan | Lidl-Trek | 0:10 |
| 8 | Madis Mihkels | EF Education-EasyPost | 0:10 |
| 9 | Giovanni Lonardi | Team Polti VisitMalta | 0:10 |
| 10 | Pascal Ackermann | Team Jayco-AlUla | 0:10 |
Source: www.brujulabike y www.revistamundociclistico.com