Giro d'Italia 2024

Narvaez outsprints Pogacar in the opening sprint finish!

Jhonatan Narvaez(Bild: AFP)

Top favorite Tadej Pogacar had to settle for 3rd place at the start of the Giro d'Italia! 

After a challenging 140 kilometers from Venaria Reale to Turin, the Slovenian from the UAE team had to admit defeat to the Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos) and the German Maximilian Schachmann (Bora) in the sprint of a group of three.

It is Narvaez's second Giro stage win after a success in 2020, having won the Tour of Austria last year. The 27-year-old can now put on the overall leader's pink jersey, which he will have to defend on Sunday at the mountain finish to the Santuario di Oropa.

Pogacar only six seconds behind Narvaez
Pogacar is only six seconds down on Narvaez due to the bonus award, while other highly rated overall contenders lost a few more. Others, such as Romain Bardet, already dropped back significantly on the climb to the Colle della Maddalena around 20 kilometers before the finish.

The attacking Pogacar shook off many of his remaining companions in the last steep uphill section around three kilometers before the finish, but Narvaez and Schachmann were able to follow and kept the upper hand in the flat finish sprint. "That feels great - a very special victory for me. We knew that this stage suited me, my team worked well for me," said Narvaez.

The four Austrians around Pogacar helper Felix Großschartner, who dropped back quite early on, unsurprisingly did not make it into the top field.

The result of stage 1:
1st Jhonatan Narvaez (ECU) Ineos 3:14:23 hours
2nd Maximilian Schachmann (GER) Bora
3. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE - all same time
Further:
84th Rainer Kepplinger (AUT) Bahrain +8:13 min.
88th Felix Großschartner (AUT) UAE +9:29
95th Tobias Bayer (AUT) Alpecin +10:58
101st Patrick Gamper (AUT) Bora - same time

The standings in the overall standings:
1st Jhonatan Narvaez (ECU) Ineos 3:14:13 hours
2nd Maximilian Schachmann (GER) Bora + 3 sec.
3. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE +6
Further:
84th Rainer Kepplinger (AUT) Bahrain +8:23 min.
88th Felix Großschartner (AUT) UAE +9:39
95th Tobias Bayer (AUT) Alpecin +11:08
101st Patrick Gamper (AUT) Bora - same time