The 109th edition of the Giro d’Italia wrapped up its opening three stages hosted in Bulgaria on Sunday, with young French sprinter Paul Magnier delivering a dramatic photo-finish victory to secure his second stage win of the race, while Uruguayan trailblazer Guillermo Silva held onto his position as the overall general classification leader ahead of the race’s transition to Italian soil.
The 175-kilometer third stage stretched from Plovdiv, one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited urban settlements, across the Bulgarian countryside to the capital city of Sofia. Three riders – Diego Pablo Sevilla, Alessandro Tonelli, and Manuele Tarozzi – launched an early breakaway immediately after the starting flag dropped, and maintained their gap over the peloton for most of the day. As the finish line came into view, however, the chasing main field reeled in the escapees, setting up a hotly contested bunch sprint.
In a finish so tight it left even the winner uncertain of the result, Magnier, riding for the Soudal Quick-Step team, edged out Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan by just half a wheel’s length. Dutch veteran Dylan Groenewegen finished a hair’s breadth behind Milan to take third place. Confusion reigned in the immediate aftermath: Magnier initially threw his arm up in celebration, only to lower it just as quickly, unsure if he had crossed the line first. It was the 19-year-old Frenchman’s second stage win of this year’s Giro, following his victory in the opening stage held Friday.
“I dreamed about it and it was the goal to go for the stage again and the team did an amazing job again,” Magnier told reporters after the official result confirmed his win. “To be honest, I was not really sure I had won the stage. I celebrated and then I thought, ‘oh, I’m not sure’ but in the end I won, so I’m really happy. Now I have to say that I feel really good and I can be with the best sprinters in the world, so I will try to enjoy this moment and keep going like this with the team.”
Uruguay’s Guillermo Silva retained his overall lead, becoming the first Uruguayan in Giro history to not only win a stage but also hold the race’s iconic maglia rosa (pink leader’s jersey) heading into the next phase of competition. The 24-year-old XDS Astana rider won a crash-disrupted second stage on Saturday to claim the top spot, and holds a four-second advantage over his closest competitors: German rider Florian Stork and Italian climbing specialist Giulio Ciccone.
Silva expressed his shock and gratitude at holding onto the jersey as the Giro prepares to shift to Italy, saying: “The team is extremely supportive and wanted me to keep this jersey going into the rest day. So we’re going to enjoy it. Today was just unbelievable. Every moment, people were looking at me and I still can’t quite believe it. We’ll try to hold onto it for as long as possible and it’s very nice to carry it to Italy.”
Following Sunday’s stage, the Giro will hold a rest day on Monday, before resuming competition in Italy with the fourth stage on Tuesday. That 138-kilometer route will run from Catanzaro, in southern Italy’s Calabria region, to Cosenza. The 109th men’s Giro d’Italia will conclude on May 31 in Rome. The 2025 women’s Giro is scheduled to run from May 30 to June 7, with Italian star Elisa Longo Borghini set to defend her title.