Paul Magnier wins in Burgas: the first Maglia Rosa belongs to France

Right from Stage 1, the 2026 Giro d’Italia – and Bulgaria – did not disappoint. An electrifying and ultra-fast finale on the shores of the Black Sea saw Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) storm to victory in Burgas, edging out Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Ethan Vernon (NSN) in a sprint heavily influenced by a crash inside the final kilometre.
The day’s big favourite, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), lost his lead-out amid the chaos and could do no better than fourth place.

Paul Magnier, the rising star of French cycling

Magnier is one of the brightest young talents in the sport, and at just 22 years old he has already achieved what remains a dream for countless sprinters – and riders in general: wearing the Maglia Rosa.

The Frenchman becomes the third-youngest rider ever to take the pink jersey after the opening stage of the Giro, behind only Wilfried Reybrouck in 1974 and Taylor Phinney in 2012.

This is also a landmark moment for French cycling. Magnier is only the second Frenchman this century to wear the Maglia Rosa, after Bruno Armirail in 2023, and the youngest French rider ever to do so since Laurent Fignon.

The race explodes in the finale

From Nessebar to Burgas, the Black Sea turned pink for a few unforgettable hours. The flat route made life relatively straightforward for the peloton, and the day’s breakaway formed immediately after kilometre zero, with Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti VisitMalta) going clear.

Sevilla swept up both ascents of Cape Agalina to secure the mountain points, while Tarozzi claimed the intermediate sprint and the Red Bull KM.
Driven by the work of Unibet Rose Rockets, Soudal-QuickStep and Lidl-Trek, the peloton finally reeled in the breakaway with 22 kilometres remaining.

From 5 kilometres to go, the speed skyrocketed. The fight for position became increasingly frantic and, after a series of swerves and shoulder battles, disaster struck inside the final kilometre. Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility) crashed heavily, bringing down Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-PremierTech) and Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello Q36.5), among others.

Up front, around twenty riders survived the carnage. Decathlon CMA CGM produced an excellent lead-out for Tobias Lund Andresen, but the Danish rider was ultimately overhauled by the flying Magnier. Milan, isolated and lacking his usual kick after the chaotic run-in, had to settle for fourth.

For Magnier, the Maglia Rosa already feels strangely familiar: he wore it at the Giro Next Gen in Saint-Vincent back in 2024.

But keeping it tomorrow on the uphill finish in Veliko Tarnovo will be an entirely different challenge.

Official results

1 – Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) – 147 km in 3h21’08” average speed 43.851 km/h
2 – Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) s.t.
3 – Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling Team) s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
2 – Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) at
3 – Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) at 4″

THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS

The leader jerseys of the Giro d’Italia are designed by CASTELLI

Maglia Rosa, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia – Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)

Maglia Ciclamino, leader of the Points Classification, in cooperation with ITA – Italian Trade Agency – Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)

Maglia Azzurra, leader of the KOM Classification, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Diego Pablo Sevilla (Team Polti VisitMalta)

Maglia Bianca, Best Young Rider Classification, born after 1 January 2001, sponsored by Conad – Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)

STATEMENTS

Speaking seconds after the finish, the stage winner and first Maglia Rosa Paul Magnier said: “It’s a big emotion. I’m so proud of my team and my performance. I was already happy to start the Giro d’Italia with a nice shape and a special jersey from Castelli. Now I can change it with the Maglia Rosa. It was very hectic in the finale because it was an easy day before the sprint so everyone was really fresh. We tried to be in a good position before the narrow road where the crash happened. Jasper [Stuyven] did an amazing job and I could finish it off, it’s amazing. It was my first time being able to sprint against these big sprinters like Jonathan Milan. I already had some nice memories with the Maglia Rosa at the Giro NextGen, now I can have more. I will enjoy to wear this one!”