'I don't know if it was anybody's mistake' – huge pile-up mars finale of Giro d'Italia stage 1

A mass pile-up with 600m to go marred the bunch sprint at the end of stage one of the Giro d'Italia on Friday.

Only 11 riders contested the finish in Burgas, Bulgaria, where Paul Magnier (Soudal-Quick Step) won the stage and the race's first pink jersey.

The crash came as the road narrowed towards the finish line, with bunch speeds approaching 60kph. Around 15 riders were involved in the pile-up, which stretched the width of the road and brought the peloton behind to a halt.

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Uno-X's Erlend Blikra told TNT Sports afterwards that he was the first rider to fall. "I just clipped my front wheel," he said. "I don't know if it was anybody's mistake.

"I have a lot of wounds on my back, so that's not great on the first day. It's going to be some long weeks now not being able to sleep like I want to.

"It was really easy the whole day, so I think everybody was super fresh in the end, and that just makes it more hectic."

It is uncertain if any riders were seriously injured in the crash. Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) was pictured in discomfort as he finished the stage; however his team later confirmed he had "no urgent issues".

Likewise, Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) crossed the line with road rash and a ripped skinsuit, but was found to "seem okay" after an initial team medical check.

There will be no time losses because of the crash. UCI rules stipulate that any riders affected by a crash in the final 3km of a stage are granted the same time as the stage winner.

Also speaking to TNT Sports after the finish line, Unibet Rose Rockets rider Tomáš Kopecký said: "Of course we knew before that it was going to be a really hectic final.... With the final k[ilometre] getting narrower, everyone was basically drag racing towards the final k."

This article will be updated as teams issue injury statements.