Magnier takes Giro victory in demolition derby stage one.
Frenchman scores a pink jersey and earns his first Gand Tour win.
“Everyone is crazy. A lot of elbows being given, it was inevitable.”
That was Tobias Lund Andresen of Decathlon CMA CGM, one of the ten or so lucky riders who didn’t go down in a Domino Effect crash on stage one of the Giro d’Italia. Massive pile-up, road-rashathon.
As the peloton accelerated in the last 600 meters toward the finish line in Burgas, Bulgaria, someone on the right edge of the barrier had their wheel clipped. Or maybe it was a trim.
In a millisecond, this demolition derby wiped out several rows of riders who went down hard, including Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets).
The word “carnage” comes to mind. Along with “prescription pain killers” and “hospital ambulance.”
However it was a grand tour grand day for Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step. He beat the hands-down favorite Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and the hard-charging Andresen, who finished a disappointed second. Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling) rounded out the podium. Almost chapeau, fellas —so close, so far from pink.
The Frenchman Magnier pronounced himself tres “happy.” “There are a lot of sprinters here at the start, and it was the first time that I could sprint against these big sprinters,” he said. “I’m super happy I can beat them with a team performance.” After his first grand tour victory and a new pink shirt, he’ll be confident and relaxed for the next stages. Look out!
It appeared on the video replay that perhaps that chain reaction crash began with a front wheel hitting the extended feet of the barriers, throwing a rider sideways into the peloton. Who’s to say what happened? Uno-X’s Erland Blikra told TNT sports that he was the first to hit the deck — “I don’t know if it was anybody’s mistake.”
Clipped wheel or antiquated barriers or simple Act of Cycling God, the upshot was a wild and chaotic start to this Giro d’Italia. The Italian grand tour loves the operatic drama of bike racing — the surprises, weather extremes, the dangerous descents, the continual misfortunes. That’s their jam, that’s the vibe, it’s peak Giro.
In other words, it’s no surprise the Giro has already thrown out the first surprise on day one.