Narvaez shocks hot favourite Pogacar to win Giro opener

Narvaez took the leader's pink jersey that Pogacar is heavily favoured to be wearing when the race ends in Rome in three weeks' time.

Rarely has the Giro had such an overwhelming pre-race favourite as Pogacar, with the two-time Tour de France winner targeting an audacious Giro-Tour double.

Pogacar has never previously competed in the Italian grand tour and was hoping to ride into pink right from the start - but Narvaez pipped him and Max Schachmann in a sprint at the end of the 140km route from Venaria Reale to Turin.

Schachmann also outpaced Pogacar.

There was a special pink jersey on offer as the stage commemorated the 1949 Superga air disaster involving the Torino soccer team.

The maglia rosa sported the words 'solo il fato li vinse' (only fate defeated them) on the inside of the collar in Torino's colours.

The opening leg went over the Superga hill where the team's plane crashed, in a mark of respect on the 75th anniversary of the tragedy.

All 31 people on board the plane, which was returning from a friendly match in Portugal in poor weather, died.

In addition to the Superga climb there were two other categorised climbs plus two rides up a steep but uncategorised ascent as the Giro got off to an unusually difficult start.

Sunday's second stage will also be challenging.

There are three classified climbs, including a top-rated uphill finish, in an undulating 150km route from San Francesco al Campo to Santuario di Oropa.

It will be the earliest mountain finish at the Giro since 1989, when the race began in Sicily and went up Mount Etna.

The Giro ends in Rome on May 26.

Australian Associated Press