Giro d'Italia 2017: Lukas Postlberger Wins Stage 1, Pink Jersey with Late Attack

Lukas Postlberger of Bora-Hansgrohe won the first stage of the 2017 Giro d'Italia with a late attack on Saturday, avoiding a bunch sprint on the streets of Olbia.

The Austrian took advantage of the narrow, twisty streets, as the sprint teams could not get organised in time. He'll start Sunday's stage in the pink leader's jersey.

The 100th edition of the iconic race features a ton of star names and some of the most spectacular stages ever seen in a Grand Tour. The first three stages take place in Sardinia.

Here's a look at the results from the opening stage:

Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1	Lukas Postlberger	Bora-Hansgrohe	5:13:35
2	Caleb Ewan	Orica-Scott	Same time
3	Andre Greipel	Lotto Soudal	Same time
4	Giacomo Nizzolo	Trek-Segafredo	Same time
5	Sacha Modolo	UAE Team Emirates	Same time
6	Kristian Sbaragli	Dimension Data	Same time
7	Jasper Stuyven	Trek-Segafredo	Same time
8	Ryan Gibbons	Dimension Data	Same time
9	Sam Bennett	Bora-Hansgrohe	Same time
10	Phil Bauhaus	Team Sunweb	Same time

The current Giro standings:

Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1	Lukas Postlberger	Bora-Hansgrohe	5:13:25
2	Caleb Ewan	Orica-Scott	0:00:04
3	AndreGreipel	Lotto Soudal	0:00:06
4	Pavel Brutt	Gazprom – Rusvelo	0:00:09
5	Giacomo Nizzolo	Trek-Segafredo	0:00:10
6	Sacha Modolo	UAE Team Emirates	Same time
7	Kristian Sbaragli	Dimension Data	Same time
8	Jasper Stuyven	Trek-Segafredo	Same time
9	Ryan Gibbons	Dimension Data	Same time
10	Sam Bennett	Bora-Hansgrohe	Same time

Recap

Here's a look at the profile of the opening stage, which was mostly flat and expected to finish in a mass sprint, per the Giro's official Twitter account:

An early break featuring the likes of Dimension Data's Daniel Teklehaimanot and Cesare Benedetti of Bora-Hansgrohe quickly gained a solid lead over the peloton, which took its time during the first stage.

The lead maxed out at seven minutes before the teams riding in support of a top sprinter upped the pace. By the time the peloton reached the peak of the final climb, the gap was down to less than a minute, and a bunch sprint seemed inevitable.

LUK BENIES/Getty Images

The leaders were caught in the city of Olbia, where the finish line followed a series of narrow turns. Because of this, no sprint team could really gain control at the front, leading to a chaotic finale. Postlberger surprised everyone by creating a gap while leading out, and the 25-year-old held his advantage until the very end.

Postlberger didn't even realise he was about to win until he closed in on the finish line. Cycling writer Neal Rogers loved it:

In the background, Caleb Ewan of Orica-Scott won the sprint for second place. Steven Kruijswijk of LottoNL-Jumbo, one of the favourites for the olverall classification, lost 13 seconds on his rivals.

Stage 2 will be a hilly affair that should give some of the less-heralded riders a chance to grab the win and spend some time in the pink. The top contenders for the overall classification are not expected to show their faces until the race hits the mainland during Stage 4, the first major uphill finish.