Giro d'Italia: Paul Magnier edges out Jonathan Milan to claim second victory on stage 3

Paul Magnier of Soudal-QuickStep secured his second stage victory in the Giro d’Italia by narrowly defeating Jonathan Milan in a thrilling sprint finish on stage 3, which concluded in Sofia, Bulgaria. The 22-year-old French sprinter, wearing the maglia ciclamino as points leader, timed his final burst perfectly to overtake Milan in the last 150 metres. Milan, riding for Lidl-Trek, had launched his sprint too early at 250 metres out and was unable to hold off Magnier, while Dylan Groenewegen of Unibet Rose Rockets claimed third place. The 175km stage featured a single categorised climb, the Borovets Pass, before a predominantly flat run-in to the Bulgarian capital, setting the scene for a sprint finish. A three-man breakaway, consisting of Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti-VisitMalta), Alessandro Tonelli, and Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF-Saber 7), was caught with 500 metres remaining, as teams like Soudal-QuickStep, Lidl-Trek, and Unibet Rose Rockets controlled the peloton’s pace. Sevilla extended his lead in the mountains classification by cresting the climb first, while the sprint teams organised themselves for the final dash. Magnier praised his team’s efforts, highlighting their control of the race and positioning in the closing kilometres as key to his success. Despite initial uncertainty over the outcome, he expressed confidence in his form and ambition to compete with the world’s best sprinters throughout the Giro. His victory extended his lead in the points classification to 105 points, well ahead of Milan’s 64, underscoring his dominance in the sprint stages so far. Meanwhile, Thomas Silva of XDS-Astana retained the overall race lead, holding a four-second advantage over Florian Stork and Egan Bernal. The stage reinforced the strategic importance of team support in both breakaway control and sprint preparation, with Magnier’s Soudal-QuickStep continuing to demonstrate their strength in the flat finishes. As the Giro progresses, Magnier’s form and points lead position him as a key contender for further stage wins and the coveted maglia ciclamino.