
Paul Magnier won the first stage of the 2026 Giro dâItalia in a sprint finish, but the race was overshadowed by a mass crash 600m from the finish line. This victory marks Magnier's first Grand Tour win and the first pink jersey for a Frenchman since 2023.
Mentioned in this story
Paul Magnier won the opening stage of the 2026 Giro dâItalia 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. Magnier, 22, claimed his first ever Grand Tour win and also became the first Frenchman to wear the pink jersey for the overall lead since Bruno Armirail three years ago.

The peloton ride during the opening stage of this yearâs Giro. Photograph: Luca Bettini/AFP/Getty Images
âIâm so proud of the team and Iâm so happy to be starting the Giro in such good form,â said Magnier. âThe finale was chaotic after an easy day for everyone, on a narrow road. Beating such good sprinters here makes me very happy.â
Magnier, who was born in Texas and moved to France as a youngster, is one of his countryâs young guns alongside Paul Seixas and last year clocked up 19 wins, the second-highest behind Tadej Pogacar. His win on Friday is a return to form following a disappointing spring classics season, after beginning the year with two stages at the Volta ao Algarve.
Jonathan Milan, who won the sprintersâ jersey at last yearâs Giro, could only finish fourth after escaping a crash which kept other sprinters like Dylan Groenewegen and Kaden Groves from contesting the finale.

Riders strung out during the stage. Photograph: Gian Mattia DâAlberto/LaPresse/Shutterstock
The overall favourite Jonas Vingegaard, who rode with one fingernail painted red in support of a childrenâs welfare charity, was among those held up by the crash in the main bunch.
The mass crash occurred 600 meters from the finish line, affecting most of the peloton.
Tobias Lund Andresen finished second in the opening stage, narrowly behind Paul Magnier.
The last Frenchman to wear the pink jersey was Bruno Armirail, three years ago in 2023.
Vanderbilt baseball breaks its single-season home run record with 101 homers!
Travis Bazzana hits his first MLB home run in a 6-4 win for the Guardians!
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
Stage two on Saturday will bring a hilly 221km route from Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo.