A truly thrilling finale for the opening stage of the 109th Giro. On the Burgas finish line, young Paul Magnier won in a sprint, but what happened 600 meters from the finish was sensational: a massive crash literally blocked the peloton leaving only about ten riders to fight for victory. Second place for Tobias Lund Andresen, third Ethan Vernon, fourth Jonathan Milan. Sixth place for Giovanni Lonardi. 

THE RACE. A stage entirely dedicated to the sprinters for the Grand Start of the 109th Giro which for the first three days of racing crosses Bulgarian roads. The first stage of the race saw the peloton engaged in the Nessebar - Burgas, 147 km without particular difficulties and tackled in anticipation of the opening sprint. 

Much of the day saw Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti Visit Malta) as protagonists who attacked shortly after the official start. The two athletes, true experts in long-range attacks, battled it out on the day's climb to secure the first blue jersey which ended up on the shoulders of the Spanish athlete from Polti Visit Malta. The peloton limited itself to controlling the attack of the two breakaway riders which never exceeded 2'10" of advantage. The most active at the front of the pack were the men from Lidl Trek, Unibet Rose Rockets and Soudal Quickstep, the teammates of the most anticipated sprinters namely Jonathan Milan, Dylan Groenewegen and Paul Magnier. 

Shortly after the Red Bull Km positioned 32 km from the finish line, the peloton gave a powerful acceleration and about 10 kilometers later it regrouped. 

In the final kilometers we witnessed fierce fighting in the peloton between the sprinters' trains, but the real plot twist came right at the end. About 600 meters from the finish, due to contact between riders, there was a massive crash that effectively blocked the pack. About ten riders remained ahead who then fought out the sprint. Young Frenchman Paul Magnier managed to impose himself on the Burgas finish line ahead of Tobias Lund Andresen and Ethan Vernon, thus taking the pink jersey. 

In addition to the symbol of overall classification leadership, Paul Magnier also wears the white jersey as best young rider and the points jersey. 

Tomorrow the Giro will restart from Burgas to arrive in Veliko Tarnovo after 221 km. Unlike today's stage, the second day in Bulgarian territory will be anything but simple, there will be a rolling course with 3 climbs of which the last, the Lyaskovets Monastery Pass, is positioned 10.4 km from the finish. 

CLICK HERE to read the complete report of the first stage 

STAGE RESULTS

1  Magnier Paul Soudal Quick-Step 03:21:08

2  Lund Andresen Tobias Decathlon CMA CGM Team + 00

3  Vernon Ethan NSN Cycling Team + 00

4  Milan Jonathan Lidl-Trek + 00

5  Mihkels Madis EF Education-EasyPost + 00

6  Lonardi Giovanni Team Polti VisitMalta + 00

7  Ackermann Pascal Team Jayco-AlUla + 00

8  Gudmestad Tord Decathlon CMA CGM Team + 00

9  Walscheid Max Lidl-Trek + 00

10 van Gestel Dries Soudal Quick-Step + 00

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1  Magnier Paul Soudal Quick-Step 03:20:58

2  Lund Andresen Tobias Decathlon CMA CGM Team + 04

3  Tarozzi Manuele Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber + 04

4  Vernon Ethan NSN Cycling Team + 06

5  Sevilla Diego Team Polti VisitMalta + 06

6  Morgado António UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 08

7  Milan Jonathan Lidl-Trek + 10

8  Mihkels Madis EF Education-EasyPost + 10

9  Lonardi Giovanni Team Polti VisitMalta + 10

10 Ackermann Pascal Team Jayco-AlUla