Turin – At the start of the 107th Giro d’Italia, German professional cyclist Maximilian Schachmann narrowly missed out on winning the day on the first stage and finished in second place.
The Berlin native had a thrilling duel in the final sprint with favorite Tadej Pogacar, which he won. However, he had to admit defeat to the Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narvaez, who took victory in Turin at the start of the three-week tour of Italy. Pogacar, who is aiming for a double of Giro and Tour de France wins this year, came third.
The 30-year-old German, who had already shown strong form at the Tour of the Basque Country, impressively confirmed his ambitions for a stage win in the Giro. Schachmann, who last took part in a Grand Tour in 2022 due to bad luck with injury, attacked with 16 kilometers to go and positioned himself in a promising chasing group. Quickly after the start in Venaria Reale, six riders took the lead, some gaining a lead of almost three minutes.
Berg Superga im Focus
The focus was on Mount Superga, which is close to the city. The Giro started on a historic day for the city of Turin. On May 4, 1949, most of the team from the then AC Turin football team crashed in a plane and had a fatal accident. Due to bad weather conditions, the plane collided with a church on the Superga.
The second stage on Sunday also starts not far from Turin. Near the airport, the professionals set off for the first mountain finish of the tour. On the climb to the pilgrimage church of Oropa, located at an altitude of 1,142 meters, there is a crisp final climb in category one. Superstar Pogacar should flex his muscles here.