Magnier triumphs again to win Giro stage three in Sofia

PLOVDIV, Bulgaria, May 10 : Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) won his second stage of this year's Giro d'Italia, with the Frenchman catching Italy's Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) on the line to take stage three in Sofia on Sunday.

Milan hit the front on the final bend with 150 metres to race, but was unable to hold off Magnier, with Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) finishing third.

The Giro's final day in Bulgaria took the riders 175-km from Plovdiv to the capital, with a mostly flat ride punctuated by the Borovets climb and ending with a downhill run into Sofia, perfect terrain for the sprinters to come to the fore.

After two crash-marred stages, Sunday was a more relaxed affair, with Spain's Diego Pablo Sevilla once again part of an early breakaway, but just as in the opening two stages, the Spaniard's efforts came to nothing.

The peloton left it late to reel in the trio out in front, with the leaders holding out until inside the final kilometre. Milan went for broke, looking to outfox his rivals, but 22-year-old Magnier proved that his opening day win was no one-off.

There was no change in the general classification, with stage two winner Guillermo Thomas Silva of Uruguay holding onto the leader's jersey, four seconds ahead of Florian Stark and Egan Bernal.