Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) took victory on Stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia as Tadej Pogacar’s late attack left the race in smithereens behind him.
Pogacar stormed up the road on the day’s final climb after his UAE Team Emirates colleagues had already put some of the GC contenders – such as Romain Bardet – in trouble earlier in the day.
Stage 2 sees the riders take on another hilly stage from San Francesco al Campo to Santuario di Oropa.
Pogacar pushed his troops to the front in the final 30 kilometres on the category two Colle Maddalena climb and they splintered the peloton, dropping Bardet and Narvaez’s Ineos teammate Thymen Arensmen who had seemed a dark horse for the race.
However, only Rafal Majka survived alongside Pogacar for UAE Team Emirates meaning they lost control at the front, allowing a seven-man group including Bora-Hansgrohe’s Max Schachmann to get off the front ahead of the final steep uncategorised climb of the race.
Pogacar predictably went hell-for-leather on the final climb, just 1.4km but at an average gradient of 9.8%, and only Narvaez could hold on with Schachmann also catching up on the descent to form a three-way battle for victory in the final kilometre.
The heavy race favourite led out the sprint and opened up from distance with 200m to go, initially putting a gap into his rivals but they fought back with Narvaez overcoming Pogacar in the final metres and Schachmann taking second in a photo-finish.
After a torrid start to the season, it’s another sign that Ineos’ season is turning around and Geraint Thomas finished ten seconds behind in the main bunch, on a stage he always knew was better-suited to Pogacar.