Portugal Colonial - French rookie Magnier wins his second stage of Giro d'Italia

The 22-year-old Quick-Step rider also won the opening stage Friday and was dressed in the colours of the leading sprinter in what is his debut Giro.

Milan opened his sprint early with Magnier sitting on his wheel until the line where he made a bike throw, a manoeuvre in which he pushed his weight off the back of the bike to propel it 30 centimetres forwards.

The 175km run from Plovdiv along the magnificent Maritsa river to the Bulgarian capital took the peloton over the 9.2km Borovec Pass climb where King of the Mountains jersey wearer Diego Pablo Sevilla led a three-man break that was only captured and overtaken 300m from the finish line.

Team UAE set off three riders down already, a heavy toll from the carnage of Saturday's mass fall that deprived them of Adam Yates, Jay Vine and Marc Soler, all potential contenders for the title.

Another favourite, Colombian Santiago Buitrago, also had to withdraw leaving Jonas Vingegaard looking even at this early stage ever more likely to win the 21-day event.

Monday is a rest and travel day before stage 4 on Tuesday for a picture postcard coastal run in the Abruzzo region.

Vingegaard will have to wait until stage seven for a first real mountain with a near 14km climb up Mount Blockhaus in the Apennines.

Stage 10 should also cause a shake up with a lengthy 42km time-trial between Viareggio and Massa.

M.Gameiro--PC