Stage 3 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia ended with a very strong sprint in Sofia, where Frenchman Paul Magnier achieved another victory in this edition. He defeated Italian Jonathan Milan and Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen at the finish line.

The 175-kilometer stage, starting in Plovdiv, ended in the Bulgarian capital after a route largely controlled by the peloton. The only serious climb was the Borovets Pass, but it was not decisive for the division of the race. At the beginning, a breakaway of three cyclists formed, who achieved a three-minute advantage, but were always kept in check by the main group. In the final kilometers, the peloton neutralized the escape only 400 meters from the finish, opening the way for the mass sprint.

Jonathan Milan was the first to start the sprint, but opened it too early and was overtaken at the decisive moment by Magnier, who took the victory with a tight and decisive finish in the photo finish. In the overall standings, Uruguayan Guillermo Silva still holds the pink jersey and maintains a 4-second lead over German Florian Stork and Colombian Egan Bernal.

Jonas Vingegaard, the big favorite of the Giro, is 10 seconds behind the leader. The Giro thus concludes the three Bulgarian stages, while it will return to Italy on Tuesday for the fourth stage, Cosenza–Catanzaro (138 km), where another sprint for the fast cyclists is expected.DHGF