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France’s Paul Magnier claimed the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia after a massive crash during a bunch sprint.
The 22-year-old Soudal-quick step rider claimed his first Grand Tour win and the overall leader’s pink jersey, edging out Norway’s Tobias Lund Andresen of Decathlon-CMA CGM by inches, with Britain’s Ethan Vernon third for NSN Cycling.
After 147km of racing in Bulgaria, where the Italian three-week event is holding its first three stages, the entire peloton arrived in Burgas under gray skies to see the sprinters battle for victory.
But with 700m to go the road narrows, and compression means around 20 riders collide, crash heavily and some spectators are forced to flee as they hit barriers.
Riders lying on the road and broken bikes caused the blockade, with only 11 competitors to contend with.
Favorite for the Cyclamino Point Jersey, Lidl-Trek’s Italian Jonathan Milan was part of the group, but showed his great strength too late to break into the top three, finishing fourth.
“We knew the narrow road would be difficult. It’s the first time I’ve raced against this big sprinter (Milan) – I’m very happy to win,” said Magnier.
Fellow sprinter Dylan Groenewegen was seen riding over the line injured in the crash.
None of the main contenders for the overall pink jersey, including Denmark’s two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, crossed the line without losing time thanks to the 3km rule, which catches events within that distance to avoid time penalties for riders.
