Our rider will sport the points jersey on the last stage of the opening weekend.
Paul Magnier began the second day on Bulgarian soil resplendent in his pink Castelli race suit, which he pulled on following his maiden Grand Tour success, in Burgas. Six hours later, he moved into the ciclamino jersey, which was also his, but the day wasn’t as quiet as it should have been.
In the last 25 kilometers, a huge crash on the slick roads to Veliko Tarnovo resulted in a temporary neutralization of the race. Among those who hit the ground were also Soudal Quick-Step’s Dries Van Gestel and Filippo Zana, who luckily got up and could continue the stage. On the last climb, three riders attacked and broke away, opening a promising gap on the chasers, but those behind somehow managed to come back just as the road went up again under the flamme rouge.
The finale was a hectic one, and Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS Astana) surprised the others by launching his sprint with 150 meters to go and taking the victory in one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful cities. Filippo Zana came home in the same time, while Paul Magnier - despite losing contact with the bunch on that climb - retained the lead in the points classification.
“It was a beautiful experience to wear the maglia rosa. I knew it would be difficult to keep it, but that didn’t stop me from giving my best on that hard climb. It will be nice to have ciclamino on my shoulders on Sunday, it’s another prestigious jersey and I will try to honor it as best as I can”, Paul said of the stage that will take the peloton to Sofia.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
