Australian cycling ace Kaden Groves had dreamt of victory and the leader's pink jersey on the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia in Bulgaria -- but instead ended bruised and bloodied from a heavy crash which may compromise his hopes in the rest of the three-week Grand Tour.
France's Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) outsprinted Denmark's Tobias Lund Andresen to win the opening stage on Friday but it was the mass crash that had unfolded just moments earlier which plunged the sprint finish of stage one into chaos at Burgas.
Up to 20 riders came down heavily at high speed as they homed in on the finish 600m from the line, among them the 10-time Grand Tour stage winner Groves, who ended up limping away bloodied afterwards, and Dylan Groenewegen, another of the top sprinters who was left holding his injured wrist.
