Here’s a roundup of post-race reactions from riders and others following Stage 1 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, which lulled us half to sleep for hours only to turn into a horror show in the last few hundred meters.

---

Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) — Stage winner & first Maglia Rosa

“It’s a big emotion. I’m so proud of my team and my performance. I was already happy to start the Giro d’Italia with a nice shape and a special jersey from Castelli [ka-ching!]. Now I can change it with the Maglia Rosa. It was very hectic in the finale because it was an easy day before the sprint so everyone was really fresh. We tried to be in a good position before the narrow road where the crash happened. Jasper [Stuyven] did an amazing job and I could finish it off, it’s amazing. It was my first time being able to sprint against these big sprinters like Jonathan Milan. I already had some nice memories with the Maglia Rosa at the Giro NextGen, now I can have more.”

---

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) — finished 4th

Milan rued the ‘casino’ chaos, saying he doesn’t often get the chance to take the pink jersey — a sentiment that underlined his frustration at being caught out by the crash-affected finale.

“You don’t often have the chance on the first stage to take the pink jersey. And when the jersey has your home region’s name on it, well, it’s no small thing for me or for the team.” The special edition Maglia Rosa for this year’s Giro references Friuli Venezia Giulia, Milan’s home region, adding extra emotional weight to the miss.

“We lost one another with 5km or so to go, I don’t even know how. It was a big casino.

“I found myself a long way back and I had to ride alone up the outside on the right for a kilometre and a half. And I spent a lot of energy there.

“I got back on the wheel of someone, I don’t even know who, but that rider didn’t launch their sprint. By the time I made my move, it was too late. But above all, my legs were shot from the effort I’d put in earlier.”

---

Thijs Zonneveld (Dutch cycling journalist & analyst): “Criminal, those barriers with legs sticking out onto the road with 500 metres to go. Honestly, criminal.”

---

Tom Dumoulin: “Typical first shitty stage of a Grand Tour. Two riders in the breakaway, the whole day ridden very slowly, and everyone still having fresh legs in the finale… In essence these were actually safe roads. Of course it becomes slightly narrower when you insist on finishing in a town, but that’s not what caused it.”

---

Marc Reef (Visma Sports Driector): “There is always a lot at stake in the opening stage of a Grand Tour. Things went seriously wrong in the final kilometre. We decided to stay in the background during the finale.”

---

Alpecin-Premier Tech Website: “Kaden has suffered abrasions on both shoulders, his calf, and elbow. We expect him to start the second stage tomorrow without too many issues.”