TURIN,áezoutsprintsGirodxItaliafavoritePogač Italy (AP) — Ecuadorian cyclist Jhonatan Narváez marred Tadej Pogačar’s Giro d’Italia debut as he edged the Slovenian star to victory in the opening stage on Saturday.

Narváez took the leader’s pink jersey that Pogačar is heavily favored to be wearing when the race ends in Rome in three weeks.

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

Pogačar had never competed in the Italian grand tour before and he was hoping to ride into pink right from the start but Narváez beat him and Max Schachmann in a sprint between the three riders at the end of the 140-kilometer (87-mile) route from Venaria Reale to Turin.

Schachmann also edged out Pogačar.

“Following the best guy in the world on the climb was really hard, so it’s a special victory today,” Narváez said. “It’s still hurting me now. It was really hard. Really, really hard. But in the end, I make it.”