VELIKO TARNOVO, Bulgaria — Cycling history was written in Bulgaria Saturday, as Uruguayan rider Guillermo Silva claimed a dramatic sprint victory in a crash-disrupted second stage of the 109th Giro d’Italia, seizing the overall general classification lead and becoming the first Uruguayan to ever win a Giro stage and wear the coveted maglia rosa.
The 137-mile hilly route from coastal Burgas to the historic north-central Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo, marked by three moderate climbs, concluded after five and a half hours of racing. A wet road surface turned the late stages of the route into a dangerous test of skill and luck, with a large crash taking down roughly 15 riders just 20 kilometers from the finish line.
Among those caught in the incident was British rider Adam Yates, twin brother of retired defending champion Simon Yates. Even with blood and mud covering his face, Yates pushed on to complete the stage, though he finished nearly 14 minutes behind Silva, ending his realistic chances of contending for the overall title. Two riders — Australia’s Jay Vine and UAE Team Emirates teammate Marc Soler — were not able to continue, and were taken from the course via ambulance. Race organizers paused competition for several minutes to allow medical teams to assist injured riders scattered across the roadside, with several athletes thrown over steel barriers in the impact.
Prior to the crash, Italian Mirco Maestri and Spaniard Diego Pablo Sevilla launched an early breakaway that held off the peloton for more than 100 kilometers, before being caught with 27 kilometers remaining. The pair ended their joint effort with a gesture of good sportsmanship, patting each other on the back before rejoining the main group.
Pre-race favorite and two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard avoided the late crash, positioning himself at the front of the peloton in the closing kilometers to stay clear of trouble and capitalize on his climbing strength on the uphill run to the finish. The Dane, who is attempting to become one of the few riders to win all three of cycling’s Grand Tours in a career after taking the 2022 and 2023 Tours de France and 2023 Vuelta a España, ended up in the leading group of four on the home stretch. However, the breakaway was reeled in by a large group of sprinters with just 300 meters left to the line.
Silva’s XDS Astana teammate Christian Scaroni delivered a critical lead-out, putting the Uruguayan in the perfect position to launch his sprint. Silva held off late challenges from Germany’s Florian Stork, who crossed second, and Italian climbing specialist Giulio Ciccone, who finished third, to take the historic win.
In a post-race interview, the Maldonado-born rider said he could barely believe his career-defining result, saying, “I’m over the moon. It’s only my second stage at the Giro d’Italia and I’ve already managed to win and even take the maglia rosa. I was feeling good but I never imagined I could achieve something like this.” He also highlighted his teammate’s contribution, adding, “I have to thank Christian Scaroni, who helped me both in the chase to the leaders and in setting up the sprint. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day.” As he crossed the finish line, Silva held his head in his hands in disbelief before playfully sticking out his tongue in celebration of the biggest win of his professional career.
Silva took the overall lead and the pink jersey from French rider Paul Magnier, who won the opening Giro stage Friday. That first of three planned Giro stages in Bulgaria also ended with a major crash at the finish line. After Saturday’s race, Silva held a four-second advantage over second-place Stork and third-place Colombian Egan Bernal in the general classification. Vingegaard sits 10 seconds off the lead in 15th place overall.
Racing continues Sunday with the third stage, a mostly flat 175-kilometer route starting in Plovdiv, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, and ending in Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia. The 109th men’s Giro d’Italia will conclude on May 31 in Rome. The women’s Giro is scheduled to run from May 30 to June 7, with Italian star Elisa Longo Borghini returning to defend her 2023 title.