Giro d’Italia 2024: Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) holds off Tadej Pogaćar (UAE Team Emirates) at finish in Turin for stage 1 win, Maximilian Schachmann of Bora-Hansgrohe (right) in second(Image credit: Luca Bettini / AFP / Getty Images)
On the final sprint (L-R): Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates finishes third, while Jhonatan Narvaez of Ineos Grenadiers takes the victory and Maximilian Schachmann of Bora-Hansgrohe takes second(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Alex Baudin of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team crosses the finish line in fourth(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Maximilian Schachmann of Bora-Hansgrohe goes on the attack across the final ascent to the finish in Turin(Image credit: Dario BelingheriGetty Images)
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) attacks in the final climb(Image credit: Dario BelingheriGetty Images)
Nicola Conci of Alpecin-Deceuninck attacked breakaway with 7km to go(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Lilian Calmejane of Intermarché-Wanty rides solo at the front on the Colle Maddalena(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates rides in the peloton(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal-QuickStep competes at the front of the peloton(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Lilian Calmejane of Intermarché-Wanty joins Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier of Lidl-Trek in the breakaway(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Louis Barre of Arkéa-BB Hotels competes in the chase group climbing to Superga(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier of Lidl-Trek attacks to take a solo lead with 64km to go(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Connor Swift of Ineos Grenadiers competes in the peloton at the front, Tadej Pogača tucked in behind the Ineos squad(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The peloton on the rolling hills of stage 1, chasing the breakaway(Image credit: Getty Images)
Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier of Lidl-Trek looks to make his move with under 65km to go and move away from his breakaway companions(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Louis Barre of Arkéa-BB Hotels and Nicolas Debeaumarche of Cofidis, Lilian Calmejane of Intermarche-Wanty, Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier of Lidl-Trek, Andrea Pietrobon of Polti Kometa and Filippo Fiorelli of Team VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane compete in the breakaway(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The early break of stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) rides during 140km stage 1 from Venaria Reale to Torino(Image credit: Getty Images)
Jonathan Milan is a sprint favourite for the 2024 Giro d’Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Giro d’Italia began in the Veneria Reale palace(Image credit: Getty Images)
The crowds were huge for the Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza(Image credit: Getty Images)
Julian Alaphilippe is looking for a Giro d’Italia stage victory(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar is the big favourite of the 2024 Giro d’Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) (Image credit: Getty Images)
Matteo Trentin took his son to the stage 1 sign-on of the Giro d’Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Geraint Thomas signed on the Giro d’Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) failed to win the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia but immediately showed his intentions by going on the attack on the late San Vito climb and distancing all his overall rivals.
Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers) managed to stay with Pogačar and then beat him and Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) in a close sprint to the line.
A chase group that included Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), finished 10 seconds behind. Pogačar took four bonus seconds for his third place and so has already gained 14 seconds on his main rivals.
Narváez won a stage in 2020 but took the biggest win of his career and also took the first maglia rosa of the 2024 Giro d’Italia.
“It was a great feeling. We knew it was going to be a stage for me and I worked a lot on it,” Narváez said, still in pain after going deep to stay on Pogačar’s wheel.
“Following the best guy in the world on the climb was really hard, so it’s a special victory today. It’s still hurting me now. It was really hard, really, really hard but in the end, I made it.”
Narváez took advantage of Pogačar’s desire to win in the sprint.
“I think he went too long in the sprint, 200 metres after a really hard stage and I did a short sprint and in the end I took the victory,” he said as he realised he would pull on the maglia rosa.
“For me it’s amazing.There aren’t many opportunities in a Grand Tour to get the maglia rosa on the first day because you have a bunch sprint, a TT or a different stage. Today was a good opportunity. I worked really, really hard for it.”
