Article #21776

• French rider takes victory on opening day in Bulgaria

• Jonas Vingegaard among those held up by late crash

Paul Magnier won the opening stage of the 2026 Giro d’Italia on Friday in a bunch sprint, after a late crash left most of the peloton out of contention.

The Frenchman Magnier pipped Tobias Lund Andresen in a frantic finish after 147km of largely flat racing from Nessebar to Burgas, in the first of the three opening stages in Bulgaria.