Stage 1

The road

At the start

Budapest, and a Giro nobody owns

Two years later than planned the Giro starts in Hungary, and it starts wide open: no Pogačar, no Roglič, Bernal at home injured. Ineos hand leadership to Richard Carapaz, the nearest thing this race has to a favourite, with Simon Yates, Mikel Landa and João Almeida behind him. Today is not for them: 195 kilometres to a ramp at Visegrád that suits a finisseur, and the first maglia rosa to whoever can climb and sprint.

How it was won

1. 1120 km to go

   First points in Szekesfehervar

   Bais and Tagliani roll through the intermediate two minutes clear of nobody in particular, while Nizzolo takes six points from the bunch ahead of Démare and Cavendish. The break's advantage is already crumbling.

2. 214 km to go

   The catch, with the hill in sight

   The two Italians are finally swept up with under fourteen kilometres left. Teams fan across the road — Lotto for Ewan, Alpecin for Van der Poel, Intermarché for Girmay — as the race funnels towards the ramp at Visegrád.

3. 32 km to go

   Kämna lights up the ramp

   Naesen goes first and Ineos chase; then Kämna comes past him, and behind, Ballerini is taken down in a crash. Girmay, Van der Poel, Carapaz and a lone sprinter in Ewan all fight their way to the front for the last five hundred metres.

4. 4At the line

   Van der Poel takes the first maglia rosa

   Cort leads it out at 150 metres and the trio fan across the road — Ewan on the barrier, Girmay through the middle, Van der Poel on the left. The Dutchman comes from behind to edge it, and as they round the last curve Ewan touches Girmay's wheel and goes down inside the final fifty metres.

The result