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.
He was one of a handful of riders ahead of a crash 600m from the line, with the rest of the field rolling home knowing they would not lose time due to the proximity of the accident to the finish.
