Biniam Girmay suffered a worrying eye injury after being struck in the face by a cork from a Prosecco bottle during Giro d'Italia celebrations and could be ruled out of the rest of the race.

A moment of joy for Girmay turned sour on Tuesday, when he became the first black African winner of a Grand Tour stage but then had to be taken to hospital in the town of Jesi.

The freak incident occurred on the podium as he leaned down to open a large bottle of the sparkling wine and the cork flew straight against his left eye, causing Girmay to show immediate anguish.

He put on a brave face to spray the bottle, in keeping with tradition, but spent much of his time on the stage with the injured eye closed before being taken away for treatment.

Intermarche-Wanty Gobert team doctor Piet Daneels told Belgian broadcaster Sporza: "After the ceremony, Girmay could no longer see.

"We immediately came to the hospital of Jesi, here he was treated well. He had a bleeding in the anterior chamber of the eye. Such bleeding is not threatening to the eye itself, but it is important that this is monitored."

Girmay was able to leave hospital later and be reunited with members of his team.

"At the moment it is better. But to decide whether he starts tomorrow, that will have to take another night," Daneels added on Tuesday evening.

"As it stands now, I don't think there is permanent damage, but we have to wait and see. There will be a new evaluation tomorrow, but we will be careful with this incident."

Girmay fended off Mathieu van der Poel in a sprint finish to win stage 10 in Jesi, at the end of a hilly 196-kilometre ride from Pescara.

The 22-year-old Girmay finished second on the opening stage of the race and secured another four top-five finishes before finally taking the top step of the podium.

Wednesday's 203km stage takes the riders from Santarcangelo di Romagna to Reggio Emilia Parmigiano.

Biniam Girmay became the first black African winner of a Grand Tour stage on a historic and eventful day at the Giro d'Italia.

The Eritrean outpaced Mathieu van der Poel in a pulsating sprint finish to win stage 10 in Jesi on Tuesday. Reports said Girmay was then hit in the eye by a cork from a bottle of sparkling wine as he celebrated the win, needing hospital treatment.

Girmay and Van der Poel had burst away from the pack, and the Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert rider fended off the Belgian to put his name in the record books.

Van der Poel gave the 22-year-old history-maker the thumbs-up followed by a warm embrace after they crossed the line at the end of a hilly 196-kilometre ride from Pescara.

Girmay had finished second on the opening stage of the race and secured another four top-five finishes before finally taking the top step of the podium.

An elated Girmay said: "It's unbelievable, I'm really grateful and happy.

"Since the start, we controlled [the stage]. I don't have any words for my team for what they did today."

Juan Pedro Lopez retained the maglia rosa – the leader's jersey – and a 12-second lead from Joao Almeida after having his advantage slashed on Sunday.

There had been a shake-up in the general classification battle on Sunday, but Lopez remains the man to catch and Romain Bardet kept third place - with 14 seconds to make up the leader.

Girmay's 'best moment ever' arrives

Girmay had stated before this race that "it's going to be, I think, the best moment ever" when a black African rider won a Grand Tour stage.

He added: "It's a dream of all African cyclists to win in a Grand Tour, especially the Tour [de France] or Giro. A black rider has never won a Grand Tour stage."

Girmay did not have long for that moment to arrive and there will surely be more to come for the youngster.
 

STAGE RESULT  

1. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 4:32:07
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) same time
3. Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) same time
4. Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hansgrohe) same time
5. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 42:24:08
2. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +0:12
3. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) +0:14

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 151
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 148
3. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 90

King of the Mountains  

1. Diego Rosa (Eolo-Kometa) 83
2. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 69
3. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43

Jai Hindley held off strong competition from Romain Bardet and Richard Carapaz to claim victory on stage nine of the Giro d'Italia on Sunday.

The Australian secured victory on Blockhaus despite being pushed hard by Bardet and Carapaz, with a very tight sprint ending at the top of the second summit.

Mikel Landa and Joao Almeida were not far behind, while Juan Pedro Lopez was able to recover from coming off his bike to retain the maglia rosa heading into Monday's rest day.

"It's pretty incredible," Hindley said after the race. "It wasn't the easiest year I had last year. I worked [hard] to get back to the level to compete at the Giro and I'm at a loss for words. It's pretty amazing.

"I was just trying to survive as best I could, actually. I knew it was flattening out in the last k's and there was a right-hander before the finish with around 200m to go. I wanted to take the corner first and gave it everything to the line."

It was a day to forget for Simon Yates, though, who finished the stage over 11 minutes down on Hindley, and is likely now out of contention for the maglia rosa.

Lopez fought hard to recover after being forced off his bike following a collision with Sam Oomen, though the Spaniard offered an apology to the Jumbo-Visma rider afterwards.

"I want to say sorry to Sam Oomen because after we touched each other and I had to put one foot on the ground, I threw my bottle," Lopez said.

"When I came to my first Giro I didn't expect to have the maglia rosa so it was hard to believe that I still have it. I'm very tired but luckily I have a rest day tomorrow."

NO BREAKS IN THE HAND IS WORTH ONE IN THE BUSH

It must have been a scary moment for Natnael Tesfatsion as he went too fast into a left turn, veered off the road and flew over his handlebars headfirst into a bush.

He got back to his feet and carried on, but it was a particular blow after he had been leading the breakaway.

Tesfatsion was seen by a doctor and the official Giro race feed thankfully confirmed he had safely resumed the race, with seemingly more ego bruised than body.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) 5:34:44
2. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) same time
3. Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) same time
4. Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious) same time
5. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 37:52:01
2. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +0:12
3. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) +0:14

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 147
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 120
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 78

King of the Mountains  

1. Diego Rosa (Eolo-Kometa) 83
2. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 69
3. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43

Thomas De Gendt celebrated "finally winning a stage again" as he claimed victory in stage eight of the Giro d'Italia.

De Gendt, who was dubbed the 'Breakaway King' earlier in his career, won his first Giro stage back in 2012 and the 35-year-old Belgian rolled back the years to cross the line first on Saturday.

It was a superb ride from the Lotto-Soudal man who, as his nickname would suggest, led from the breakaway and then held off Davide Gabburo's late charge in Naples.

De Gendt, who took King of the Mountains jersey at the Vuelta a Espana in 2018 and has two Tour de France stage wins to his name, suggested he thought his time had past, but was thrilled to finally end his wait for another Giro success.

He told reporters, as quoted by cyclingnews.com: "Today was one of those days that suits me. It looks a little bit like the Barcelona stage in Volta a Catalunya, always up and down.

"It's hard to recover. It's also hard to close the gap. But 10 years after the Stelvio stage, I finally won a stage in the Giro again.

"If you would have asked me two weeks ago, if I was able to win a stage in the Giro I would have said no because I was in such bad shape. But now the good legs are coming."

Juan Pedro Lopez had a bit of work to do to maintain his 38-second lead in the general classification standings, but he fended off an attack from Lennard Kamna, who stays second ahead of Rein Taaramae.

Guillaume Martin was the big mover, leaping up 24 places into fourth as he finished three minutes ahead of the peloton.

SLOW DOWN!

Spectators are a huge part of any Grand Tour, and while sometimes they can get too close, the support is always appreciated, and one fan took to the side of the road with an amusing request.

With stage eight being a 153km circuit around Naples, there were four ascents of the Lago Lucrino, and it appears this particular spectator holds – or, held – the record pace up the climb on Strava, a website that amateurs and professionals alike use to track their rides.

"Slow down, don't take my KOM pls", read his sign. It is doubtful the pros met that request.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) 3:32:53
2. Davide Gabburo (Bardiani CSF Faizane) same time
3. Jorge Arcas (Movistar) same time
4. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto-Soudal) +0:04
5. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) +0:15

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 32:15:31
2. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:38
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:58

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 147
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 120
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 78

King of the Mountains  

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 68
2. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43 
3. Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) 27

Koen Bouwman hailed the work of Jumba-Visma team-mate Tom Dumoulin after securing his first Grand Tour victory on stage seven of the Giro D'Italia.

The maglia rosa of Juanpe Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) and blue jersey of Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) led the early stages of the 196km race to Potenza on Friday.

Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) then took charge through the 30km incline of Monte Sirino, the longest climb in the race, but the expertise Dumoulin and Bouwman came to the forefront from there on in.

Bouwman won the largely uncontested intermediate sprint before Dumoulin did much of the defensive work to keep Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) and Bauke Mollema (Trek–Segafredo) at bay.

Dumoulin, who finished fourth to boost his general classification hopes, could be seen mirroring Bouwman's celebration as he crossed the finish line, with Mollema beating Formolo to second place.

Victory also marked Jumbo-Visma's first stage win at the Giro in three years, and Bouwman highlighted Dumoulin's efforts.

"It's unbelievable, I can't believe it," Bouwman told reporters. "It was such a hard day. We were in the final with four riders and two of us. Tom did a superb job in the last 2km.

"I was feeling good all day. One time on the climb I was in trouble but I came back and actually I was confident for the sprint.

"It was steep but when I started to sprint I felt so much power left. I looked behind with 50 metres to go and saw I had a big gap – perfect."

Meanwhile, Lopez retained the maglia rosa for another day and maintained his 38-second lead over Kamna after finishing safely in the peloton.

FLYING DUTCHMEN

For the first time in history, the Netherlands had three riders – Bouwman, Dumoulin and Mollema – in the top four places in a stage of the Giro d'Italia.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 5:12:30
2. Bauke Mollema (Trek–Segafredo) +0:02
3. Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) same time
4. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) +0:19
5. Davide Villella (Cofidis) +2:25

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 28:39:05
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:38
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:58

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 147
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 94
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 78

King of the Mountains  

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 68
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43 
3. Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) 27

Arnaud Demare enjoyed another successful day at the Giro d'Italia as he registered his second stage victory of this year's race.

Demare pipped Caleb Ewan in a thrilling sprint finish to stage six on Thursday, just nudging the tip of his wheel ahead of the Lotto Soudal rider as they crossed the finish line in Scalea.

At the end of a relatively flat route, Mark Cavendish made a late push, but was unable to latch onto the front two at the end.

"It was a really calm stage and everybody had fresh legs. Yesterday it was a collective job and today we had everyone as well," said Groupama-FDJ rider Demare.

"At each roundabout we were perfectly placed. Around 500m, Jacopo [Guarnieri] did a great job and I got myself into the wheels. The sprint lasted about 100m and I managed to get there.

"I thought maybe it was me that was second until we saw the photo."

It was a frustrating day for Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), meanwhile.

The Colombian had expressed frustration with his bike after stage five, saying "what a s*** bike", and this time he collided with Alberto Dainese and Cees Bol on the home stretch.

Gaviria was deemed to be at fault and relegated, so he has dropped from third to fifth in the points classification, losing 13 points.

There was little change in the general classification standings, with Juan Pedro Lopez keeping hold of the maglia rosa, though his lead was cut by a second.

DEMARE MAKING FRANCE PROUD

That was Demare's seventh stage win at the Giro d'Italia, meaning he has now won more stages in the Grand Tour event than any other French rider.

According to the Giro's official data, across the 13-second sprint, Demare averaged a remarkable 68.4 km/h speed, while maxing out at 1,410 watts of power.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 5:02:33
2. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) same time  
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) same time 
4. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) same time
5. Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 23:23:36
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:38
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:58

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 147
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 94
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 78

King of the Mountains  

1. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43
2. Mirco Maestri (EOLO-Kometa Cycling Team) 18  
3. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 18

Arnaud Demare clinched victory in a sprint finish to stage five of the Giro d'Italia as Vincenzo Nibali confirmed 2022 will be his final year as a professional rider.

In his hometown of Messina, following a 174-kilometre route from Catania, Nibali, who has won the Giro twice, felt it was fitting to announce the news.

Out of general classification contention after losing over two minutes on the leading pack in stage four, Nibali is now focused on enjoying what will be his final Giro, and possibly his last appearance at a Grand Tour.

"I was waiting for this stage for a while, for years, it's where I started to ride and train, so I wanted to confirm that this is my last Giro and my last season," the 37-year-old told RAI Sport's Processo all Tappa.

Tearfully, he added: "It's time to call it a day. I've done so much for so long, but it's the right time. I can't forget that I left home when I was 15 years old. I think I gave a lot to cycling and now it's time to give time back to all the people who sacrificed things for me."

At the front of the race, Groupama-FDJ's Demare recovered from being dropped on the day's main climb to claim his first stage win of the season, and his sixth at a Giro.

There was no challenge from Mark Cavendish, who could not bounce back after losing time on the climb.

GC leader Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo), meanwhile, ensured he kept hold of the maglia rossa by crossing in the peloton. The Spaniard maintained his 39-second lead over second-placed Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe).

NIBALI HEADS OUT IN HISTORIC CLUB

As well as winning in his homeland in 2013 and 2016, Nibali triumphed in the Tour de France in 2014 and the Vuelta a Espana in 2010, and is one of only seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours.

Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi Alberto Contador and Chris Froome are the other riders in that exclusive club.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 4:03:56  
2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) same time  
3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech) same time 
4. Davide Ballerini (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) same time
5. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS  

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 18:21:03  
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:39
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:58

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 94
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 72
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 67

King of the Mountains  

1. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 41
2. Mirco Maestri (EOLO-Kometa Cycling Team) 18  
3. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 18

Lennard Kaemna put in a clever ride to win the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia at Mount Etna on Monday.

The German took the victory after a sprint finish with Juan Pedro Lopez, though there was sufficient consolation for the Spaniard as he now holds the maglia rosa.

It was Kaemna's first stage win in the Giro, and his second Grand Tour victory following the Villard-de-Lans stage at the 2020 Tour de France.

Lopez at 24 years of age is the youngest Spanish rider in the maglia rosa ever, taking the record from Alberto Contador (2008).

After the win, Kaemna revealed his belief of a "tacit agreement" for him to take the stage victory and Lopez to claim the maglia rosa, though that did not appear to be the case as Lopez turned the final corner without allowing much space.

"It was a very tough lap, especially the final climb," Kaemna said. "I thought it was gone when Lopez was signaled at 30. When I took him back maybe there was a tacit agreement, stop with me and maglia rosa with him.

"I'm happy to have won a stage, it takes a lot of pressure off the team too."

A 14-man breakaway had established a lead of over seven minutes as the climb to Mount Etna began, with Alpecin Fenix's Stefano Oldani eventually making a move out in front with six other riders.

However, Lopez took control after that, before Kaemna joined him for the last 2.5km as the duo set up an exciting finish, which the latter took on the final corner.

MOTORBIKE CRASH ALMOST RUINS RACE

The day did not get off to the best start for many riders as a motorbike caused a crash in the early phases of stage four.

The motorbike was part of the race convoy and had moved close to a tightly-packed peloton, before it clipped something at the side of the road and went down, causing several riders to fall with it, while many others were forced to stop.

Roger Kluge of Lotto Soudal seemed to hit the vehicle directly as he was riding behind it, but the German was able to get up and continue his race.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 4:32:11  
2. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) same time  
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:34  
4. Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Soudal) +2:12
5. Mauri Vansevenant (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) +2:12 

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS  

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 14:17:07  
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:39
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:58

Points Classification   

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 62  
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 55  
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 53  

King of the Mountains  

1. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 40 
2. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 18  
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 12 

Mark Cavendish powered across the line to claim his 16th Giro d'Italia stage victory on the final day in Hungary on Sunday. 

Contesting the Giro for the first time since winning the points classification in 2013, Cavendish was always in control after a brilliant lead out from Michael Morkov and sprinted to victory at the end of a 201-kilometre flat ride from Kaposvar to Balatonfured. 

The Briton now has 11 more Giro stage wins than anyone else in the field this year – Fernando Gaviria, Arnaud Demare and Caleb Ewan all have five. 

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team made their move at the right moment and were rewarded with their first victory in the Grand Tour since Maximilian Schachmann won stage 18 in 2018. 

"I'm very happy. It was really nice. I've got an incredible final group here and they delivered today," Cavendish said after tasting victory on stage three. 

"In the end I had to go long, with 300 [metres] to go. I'm happy I could hang on that long for the win." 

Cavendish held off the challenges of Demare and Gaviria, who finished second and third respectively. 

Mathieu van der Poel retained the maglia rosa and an 11-second advantage over Simon Yates after leading out team-mate Jakub Mareczko, who was fifth behind Biniam Girmay. 

COMEBACK CAVENDISH 

Cavendish's haul of Grand Tour stage wins now sits at 53 – he also has 34 at the Tour de France and three at the Vuelta a Espana. Mario Cipollini (57) and the legendary Eddy Merckx (64) are the only riders to have managed more. 

Four of Cavendish's total at the Tour came last year, ending a five-year wait for a victory at one of cycling's three main events.  

Asked about the Manxman's resurgence, Van der Poel said: "We knew he was one of the favourites for today. After the Tour de France last year, we all know he can win stages again." 

STAGE RESULT  

1. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 4:56:39  
2. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) same time  
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) same time  
4. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) same time  
5. Jakub Mareczko (Alpecin-Fenix) same time  

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS  

General Classification  

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 09:43:50  
2. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) +0:11 
3. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) +0:16 

Points Classification   

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 62  
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 55  
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 53  

King of the Mountains  

1. Rick Zabel (Israel-Premier Tech) 5  
2. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Jumbo-Visma) 5  
3. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 3 

Simon Yates claimed his fifth win at the Giro d'Italia as he triumphed in the short time-trial stage two in Budapest on Saturday.

Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma), who managed silver at the 2020 Olympics, produced a breathless ride to displace Matteo Sobrero (BikeExchange-Jayco) with the first time trial under 12 minutes on the 9.2-kilometre course.

However, Dumoulin soon relinquished his lead when Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) breezed across the finish line in 11:50, five seconds faster than the 2017 Giro winner's initial benchmark.

Race leader Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) completed the time check just a second slower than Yates, but ultimately fell three seconds short of a second consecutive stage victory.

Dutchman Van der Poel, sporting the pink jersey after collecting stage-one honours in Visegrad, retains the Maglia Rosa, while Brit Yates climbs to second in the general classification standings.

While many suggested victory at stage two would lay down a marker for the rest of his competitors, Yates insists there is a long way to go in Italy.

"It doesn't really change anything for me, of course, really happy with the win but it was only a 12-minute effort," he told reporters.

"It's not going to be won over these 12 minutes I don't think, the next stages are going to be really different so let's stay calm and see what the next couple of days hold."

Yates was also quick to credit his team for their work.

"We put a lot of hard work into improving our equipment, looking back to October and November, we were really working hard on it and now we are seeing the results from it," he added.

"I have to thank our sponsors, they really helped me to get into a great position in the winter to refine that on the road, as well as help from my team."

Van der Poel keeps Maglia Rosa

Yates may have done significant early damage to his general classification rivals, but Van der Poel will keep the pink jersey. The Alpecin-Fenix rider becomes the third Dutchman to sport the Maglia Rosa in the first two stages after Erik Breukink in 1987 and Dumoulin in 2016.

STAGE RESULT 

1.Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco): 11:50

2.Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix): +0:03

3.Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma): +0:05

4.Matteo Sobrero (BikeExchange-Jayco): +0:13

5.Ben Tulett (Ineos Grenadiers): +0:13

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 4:47:11

2. Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) +0:11

3. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) +0:16

Points Classification

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 62

2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 35

3. Peio Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Bahrain Victorious) 25

King of the Mountains

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 3

2. Rick Zabel (Israel-Premier Tech) 3

3. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 2

Mathieu van der Poel snatched a dramatic win on stage one of the Giro d'Italia as the climb to the castle finish in Visegrad served up a spectacle.

The Giro got under way in Hungary and remains in the country over the weekend, before the riders head to Italy for the remainder of the 21-stage, 3,445.6-kilometre race.

Dutchman Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) fended off Eritrean Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert), who marked his Grand Tour debut by finishing in second place.

Caleb Ewan (Lotto–Soudal) was rivalling both coming into the final corner but crashed heavily as he fought to make up ground.

Van der Poel, who won the second stage of the Tour de France last year, said of his Maglia Rosa success: "I knew positioning was going to be the key to winning today, and it was a bit difficult sometimes. It cost a lot of energy to catch the guys in front of me. I launched my sprint, and it was pretty close because the legs were full of lactate of course.

"I'm really happy. I knew I had a good chance, but it really hurt. It's incredible, after a yellow jersey to wear the pink now, we will see what the time trial brings tomorrow."

Girmay told Eurosport: "I tried all my best. I'm at my limit, but Van der Poel was stronger than me today, but I'm really happy."

A largely flat 195km ride from Budapest to Visegrad threw up little drama until the closing five kilometres. Belgian Lawrence Naesen (AG2R Citroen) made the first break up the hill and held a nine-second lead with 2.7km remaining, before he was caught by Germany's Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Kamna, too, fell away, setting up the frantic dash to the line that gave Van der Poel his first Giro stage victory.

Maglia Rose delight for Van der Poel

Getting to wear the Maglia Rose (pink jersey) will make Van der Poel the third Dutchman to have held the lead in both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. Giro organisers said it means he follows the example of compatriots Wim van Est and Erik Breukink, who also led both race.

STAGE RESULT 

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 4:35:28 
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) same time 
3. Peio Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Bahrain Victorious) same time 
4. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education-Easypost) same time 
5. Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hansgrohe) same time 

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 4:35:18 
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:04
3. Peio Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Bahrain Victorious) +0:06

Points Classification

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 50
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 35
3. Peio Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Bahrain Victorious) 25

King of the Mountains

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 3
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 2
3. Peio Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Bahrain Victorious) 1

The first Grand Tour of 2022 starts on Friday, with the Giro d'Italia getting underway in Hungary.

Any chances of Egan Bernal being in line to defend his title were dashed in January, when the Colombian suffered serious injuries in a training ride in his homeland.

Fortunately, Bernal has recovered and is training again in Europe with his INEOS Grenadiers team-mates, but he will not be vying for a second successive maglia rosa.

Likewise, Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar is skipping the Giro to focus his efforts on a third straight yellow jersey. His fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic, too, will not be present for the 3,445.6km race that begins in Budapest and takes in a trip around Sicily before snaking its way around the Italian mainland, finishing with a time trial in Verona.

But the lack of standout favourites could well result in a more open race. Though not a general classification contender, Mark Cavendish is making his long-awaited Giro return, while Vincenzo Nibali will visit his hometown on what seems set to be his final appearance at this particular Grand Tour.

Stats Perform looks at the key storylines heading into the Giro d'Italia.

Picks of the bunch

This year's route features only 26.3km of time trialling – the lowest amount in a Giro since 1963, when there were no time trials. Instead, there is close to 51km of climbing, with much of that reserved for the gruelling final stages.

It is no surprise, then, that reigning world time trial champion Filippo Ganna, who has won six stages across the last two Giro and claimed gold in the team pursuit for Italy at the Tokyo Olympics, is not involved for INEOS this time around.

Leading the Grenadiers will be Richard Carapraz, the 2019 victor who will have support from Pavel Sivakov, a particularly strong climber.

For Alpecin-Felix, Mathieu van der Poel will hope to build on his impressive GT debut from last year's Tour de France and collect some points in the early stages, while Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) will want another shot at Giro glory.

Yates had top drop out in 2020 after testing positive for coronavirus but won two stages to finish third in 2021. Indeed, that makes him the best performer from last year's GC to feature this time around, with Damiano Caruso, who took second, also sitting out.

Tom Dumoulin won in 2017 and is back after a hiatus, while 42-year-old Movistar rider Alejandro Valverde is set for his final Giro appearance, with the Spaniard set to retire at the end of the season.

Mikel Landa took the maglia azzurra in 2017 and he leads a Bahrain-Victorious team that includes Wout Poels, who held the king of the mountains jersey for four stages of Le Tour last year.

Cav is back

After his sensational efforts in last year's Tour de France, when he matched Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins, Cavendish will return to the Giro after a nine-year absence after he was confirmed to be heading up the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team.

Cavendish last featured in the race in 2013, topping the points classification after winning five stages.

His participation here does cast doubt over whether he will compete in Le Tour and get the chance to set the stage-win record in that race, especially as he turns 37 later this month (he'll celebrate his birthday with a 153km mountain stage from Santena to Torino on May 21).

However, regardless of whether he gets another shot at Tour de France history in July, Cavendish will be out to add to his 15 Giro stage wins. 

Nibali's long goodbye

The Giro passes through Messina on May 11, marking a return to his hometown for Nibali, the two-time champion who looks set to be making his final appearance in the race.

Nibali has won four Grand Tours and while the 37-year-old is unlikely to make any GC inroads (his last success was in 2016), it will be a glorious opportunity for him to bid farewell.

He was in tears after winning last year's Giro di Sicilia – how fitting would it be if he were to win an eighth Giro stage of his career back in the town where he grew up.

Nibali was the last Italian rider to win the Giro, and Italy's hopes rest on Trek-Segafredo's Giulio Ciccone, who crashed out in 2021.

Mark Cavendish will return to the Giro d'Italia after a nine-year absence after he was confirmed to be heading up the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team at 2022's first Grand Tour event.

Cavendish last featured in the race in 2013, topping the points classification after winning five stages.

The legendary sprinter has 15 stage wins in five previous appearances in the race, and will be hoping to replicate his successful comeback at last year's Tour de France, where he matched Eddy Merckx's career record of 34 stage victories, which had stood since 1975, after a three-year absence from the race.

As his team confirmed Cavendish's participation on Twitter, directeur sportif Davide Bramati said he is excited about the 36-year-old's chances of further success.

"We go to the Giro d’Italia with a lot of motivation. We have a good team at the start, with Mark as our man for the flat," Bramati said in a team statement.

"He has won a lot of stages at the Giro, and he can rely on many strong riders to support and guide him in the hectic bunch sprints.

"For the other stages, we'll just take it one day at a time, fight for every opportunity and see what we can do. We know that it won't be an easy three weeks, it never is, but we will try to do our best, because it's in our nature."

Cavendish's selection for the three-week race, which begins in Budapest on May 6 and finishes in Verona on May 29, does, however, make another appearance in the Tour de France appear to be unlikely this year, with Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen expected to get the nod.

The 36-year-old has been in good form in 2022, becoming the first British rider to win the Milano-Torino one-day race and picking up three race victories since the turn of the year.

Julian Alaphilippe will remain in hospital for a further period of observation after suffering serious injuries when he crashed during the Liege–Bastogne–Liege.

The world champion was involved in a huge pile-up in the middle of the peloton 62 kilometres from the end of the race on Sunday.

Alaphilippe sustained two broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade and a collapsed lung.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team on Tuesday revealed that the Frenchman will continue to be monitored in a hospital in the Belgian city of Herentals.

The 29-year-old's team said in a statement: "As previously reported, Julian sustained two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a haemopneumothorax [collapsed lung].

"The complexity of his condition means that a period of further observation will be required before a recovery pathway will be decided. He will remain in the hospital in Herentals for the time being."

Alaphilippe's team-mate Ilan Van Wilder broke his jaw when he crashed in the same incident, but the Belgian has been discharged from hospital following surgery

Van Wilder, however, has been ruled out of the Giro d'Italia.

Sir Bradley Wiggins has claimed he was groomed by a former cycling coach as a child.

The 41-year-old, who became the first and so far only rider to win the Tour de France and an Olympic gold medal in the same year in 2012, made the claims in an interview with Men's Health UK.

Wiggins, who won a total of eight Olympic medals (five gold, one silver, and two bronze) during a glittering career, said he had buried the abuse during his youth due to a strained relationship with his stepfather, but did not name the alleged offender.

"I was groomed by a coach when I was younger – I was about 13 – and I never fully accepted that... It all impacted me as an adult… I buried it," Wiggins said.

"My stepfather was quite violent to me, he used to call me a f***** for wearing Lycra and stuff, so I didn't think I could tell him. I was such a loner... I just wanted to get out of the environment. I became so insular. I was quite a strange teenager in many ways, and I think the drive on the bike stemmed from adversity."

Wiggins, who became the first British winner of the Tour de France with his 2012 triumph, also opened up on his battles with mental health issues, describing the most successful period of his cycling career as the "unhappiest period" of his life.

"In 2012, after winning the Tour de France, then winning at the Olympics, life was never the same again," he added.

"I was thrust into this fame and adulation that came with the success... I'm an introverted, private person. I didn't know who 'me' was, so I adopted a kind of veil – a sort of rock star veil.

"It wasn't really me... It was probably the unhappiest period of my life. Everything I did was about winning for other people, and the pressures that came with being the first British winner of the Tour. I really struggled with it."

Wiggins ended his cycling career in 2016, having won Olympic medals in four consecutive games between 2004 and 2016: in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro.

British Cycling has offered support to Wiggins after the claims became public.