Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) clinched his second stage victory of this year's Giro d'Italia, with the French rider pipping Italy's Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) on the line to take stage three in Sofia. Milan surged to the front on the final bend with 150 metres remaining but could not hold off Magnier, while Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) finished third. Magnier briefly raised his hand in celebration after crossing the line but had to await the official photo-finish result before confirming he had indeed won two out of three stages in Bulgaria.
"I was not really sure that I won the stage to be honest," said Magnier. "I celebrated and then I say: 'Oh, I'm not sure.'"
The Giro's final day in Bulgaria took the riders 175km from Plovdiv to the capital, with a predominantly flat route punctuated by the Borovets climb and ending with a downhill run into Sofia—ideal terrain for the sprinters to shine. After two crash-marred stages, Sunday offered a more relaxed affair. Spain's Diego Pablo Sevilla once again featured in an early breakaway, but just as in the opening two stages, the Spaniard's efforts came to nothing.
The peloton left it late to reel in the trio out front, with the leaders holding out until inside the final kilometre. Milan went for broke, aiming to outfox his rivals, but the 22-year-old Magnier proved that his opening-day win was no fluke. "I dreamed about it, and it was a goal to go for the stage again," Magnier said. "The team did an amazing job again and we had to really be in a good position at one kilometre to go and this is what we did."
There was no change in the general classification, with stage two winner Guillermo Thomas Silva of Uruguay retaining the leader's jersey, four seconds ahead of Florian Stark and Egan Bernal. Britain's Adam Yates, twin brother of last year's winner Simon, did not start stage three following a crash on Saturday that left him with delayed concussive symptoms and ended his overall contention. Yates, who hit a barrier at high speed, eventually finished almost 14 minutes behind the leading pack after battling on in a blood-stained kit. His UAE Team Emirates teammates Jay Vine and Marc Soler were also injured; Vine sustained a concussion and an elbow fracture, while Soler has a pelvic fracture. All three riders are under medical observation and will travel home in the coming days to continue their recovery.
The Giro arrives in Italy on Tuesday, after Monday's rest day, with stage four's 138km ride from Catanzaro to Cosenza.
