Paul Magnier Does it Again: Second Stage Win

The 2026 Giro d’Italia bids farewell to Bulgaria under the banner of Paul Magnier. The young Soudal Quick-Step sprinter claimed victory in the third and final stage of the Bulgarian Grande Partenza – Plovdiv to Sofia – outsprinting Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), once again left frustrated, and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) in a bunch sprint. Already victorious in Burgas, Magnier becomes the first French rider ever to win two stages in the opening three days of the Giro, as well as the youngest rider in history to claim two stage wins so early in the race.

With the finish in Sofia, the Corsa Rosa says goodbye – and thank you – to Bulgaria after a Grande Partenza full of memorable moments, before heading back to Italy.

A sprint straight out of the UAE Tour playbook

The script of the stage followed a familiar pattern to the opening two days – though thankfully, this time, no crash disrupted the finale. The breakaway featured Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Alessandro Tonelli and the ever-present Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti VisitMalta), who made it three breakaways out of three and claimed the Category 2 KOM at Borovets Pass, the stage’s only climb, further strengthening his grip on the Maglia Azzurra.

The finale, on long, wide, straight roads – “UAE Tour style,” as several riders had described it – proved far tighter than expected. The three escapees made life difficult for the peloton, maintaining a fierce pace almost all the way to Sofia. The catch only came with 600 metres to go, when the peloton’s chase finally overwhelmed them and the sprint trains thundered into action.

Paul Magnier wins again in Bulgaria

Unibet Rose Rockets arguably executed the best lead-out, but it was Jonathan Milan who launched first — only to find the shadow of the Maglia Ciclamino, Paul Magnier, glued to his wheel. On the final cobbled metres, the Frenchman proved strongest once again, while Dylan Groenewegen’s late surge was enough only for third place.

Monday now brings the first rest day, allowing the race to travel back from Bulgaria before the Giro resumes in Calabria with Cosenza–Catanzaro. And in the Maglia Rosa, Thomas Silva (XDS Astana) will still be leading the race after a trouble-free day in pink.

Results

OFFICIAL RESULTS
1 – Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) – 175 km in 4h09’42”, average speed 42.050 km/h
2 – Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) s.t.
3 – Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS Astana Team)
2 – Florian Stork (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 4.”
3 – Egan Bernal (Netcompany Ineos) – 4″

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STATEMENTS

Just moments after crossing the finish line, stage winner Paul Magnier said: “Winning two stages out of three in Bulgaria feels like a dream. We controlled the race all day and wanted to be perfectly positioned with 1 kilometre to go – and that’s exactly what happened. I celebrated on the finish line but, to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I had actually won or not. I’m really happy. Beating Jonathan Milan and Dylan Groenewegen makes me feel like one of the best sprinters in the world. Now we head to Italy and we’ll see how many more stages I can target. Six years ago, I was watching Arnaud Démare win on TV in the Maglia Ciclamino. He sent me a message telling me to do the same, and I’m happy I managed to pull it off.”