The Giro d'Italia started with a successful stage for BORA - hansgrohe, where Maximilian Schachmann kicked off our Giro campaign with a strong performance. The Berliner, who had already shown strong form at the Tour of the Basque Country, fought a tough battle with Jonathan Narvaez and Tadej Pogacar for the stage win and the first pink jersey. In the end he secured second place in a thrilling three-man showdown in Turin.
The team then showcased its strength at the first mountain finish of this year's Giro, with Dani Martinez clinching second place, and his young German teammate Florian Lipowitz securing fifth place on a challenging course. Max then achieved a remarkable fifth place in the tough battle against the clock, while Dani moved up from third to second place in the general classification after an impressive performance on the same stage. Florian, who had already achieved top results at the Czech Tour and Tour of Turkey, unfortunately had to end his Grand Tour debut after the fifth day of racing, due to illness.
On Stage 8, Dani showed once again why he's at the pointy end of the race, finishing second in Prati di Tivo, confirming his second place overall. After the first rest day, the Giro d'Italia will continue tomorrow the long way back to the north of Italy starting with a challenging stage in the Southern Apennines.
Photos: Sprintcycling