Austria’s Lukas Postlberger upset the sprinters on the opening stage of the 100th Giro d’Italia to claim an unlikely win and pull on the race leader’s pink jersey on Friday.
A host of top sprinters looked to have set up a bunch sprint for the end of the 206 km ride from Alghero to Olbia on the northern coast of Sardinia after catching a five-man breakaway in the closing kilometres.
But after a sharp right-hand bend caused chaos with 3km to go, 25-year-old Postlberger — competing in his first Grand Tour — surged clear.
The Bora team rider held off a desperate chasing pack to claim a famous victory, and the first pink jersey in the 100th edition of the race.
Results from Friday’s opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, held over 206km from Alghero to Olbia:
1. Lukas Postlberger (AUT/Bora) 5hr 13min 34sec, 2. Caleb Ewan (AUS/ORI) same time, 3. Andre Greipel (GER/LOT) s.t., 4. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA/TRE) s.t., 5. Sacha Modolo (ITA/EAU) s.t., 6. Kristian Sbaragli (ITA/DDT) s.t., 7. Jasper Stuyven (BEL/TRE) s.t., 8. Ryan Gibbons (GBR/DDT) s.t., 9. Sam Bennett (IRL/BOR) s.t., 10. Phil Bauhaus (GER/SUN) s.t.
– Agence France-Presse
