Paul Magnier claimed his first Grand Tour stage win
France's Paul Magnier claimed the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia after a huge crash towards the end of 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 whole peloton arrived in Burgas under grey skies for the sprinters to fight for victory.
But with 700 metres to go the road narrowed, and the compression meant about 20 riders collided, crashing heavily and causing some spectators to flee as they hit the barrier.
