Narváez outsprints Giro d'Italia favorite Pogačar to win opening stage in Turin

TURIN, 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.”

“I think he (Pogačar) went too long in the sprint, 200 meters after a really hard stage and I did a short sprint and in the end I took the victory.”

Narváez was swiftly embraced by Ineos Grenadiers teammate Geraint Thomas, last year's runner-up, who is likely to be Pogačar's main challenger.

Thomas and most of the other GC contenders finished within 10 seconds of the leading trio. But there was disappointment for another Ineos Grenadiers rider in Thymen Arensman as he finished more than two minutes behind Narváez.

Romain Bardet and Luke Plapp also both lost more than a minute after all three were dropped on the second-category Colle Maddalena. They were expected to be among the challengers for a podium finish.

There was a special pink jersey as the stage commemorated the 1949 Superga air disaster involving the Torino soccer team. The maglia rosa had the words “Solo il Fato li vinse”, or “Only Fate defeated them,” written on the inside of the collar, in Torino’s colors.

The opening leg went over the Superga hill where the Torino team’s plane crashed, to mark the 75th anniversary of the tragedy. All 31 people on board the plane died.

As well as the Superga climb there were two other categorized climbs plus two rides up a steep but uncategorized ascent — including once shortly before the finish — as the Giro got off to an unusually difficult start.

It was on that final climb that Pogačar made his move, upping the pace so that only Narváez and Schachmann could stay with him.

They swiftly caught the remnants of the breakaway and then leader Nicola Conci and Pogačar and Narváez crested the summit together before being joined by Schachmann on the descent, setting it up for the sprint to the line.

Sunday’s second stage will also be challenging. There are three classified climbs, including a top category uphill finish, in an undulating 161-kilometer (100-mile) 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.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Jhonatan Narváez celebrates as he cycles to the finish line to win the stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

The start of stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

The race during stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

The start of stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

France's Lilian Calmejane leads during stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

The pack rides during stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

Jhonatan Narváez celebrates as he cycles to the finish line to win the stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

Jhonatan Narváez celebrates as he cycles to the finish line to win the stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Jhonatan Narváez celebrates with sparkling wine on podium after winning the stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia from Venaria Reale to Turin, Italy, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

PEZINOK, Slovakia (AP) — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico ’s condition was serious but stable Saturday as the man accused of trying to assassinate him faced his first court appearance.

Two hours of surgery Friday to remove dead tissue from Fico's multiple gunshot wounds led to a good prognosis for his recovery but he was still not well enough to travel to a hospital in the capital, Bratislava, government ministers said outside University F. D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, where Fico was taken by helicopter after the shooting.

“Several miracles have occurred in Banska Bystrica in recent days coming from the hands of doctors, nurses and the personnel at the Roosevelt Hospital," Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said.

Fico, 59, was attacked as he greeted supporters following a government meeting Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova. The suspect was tackled to the ground and arrested.

The update on Fico’s health was issued as the man accused of attempting to assassinate him made his first court appearance, according to Slovak state media.

Prosecutors were seeking an order from Slovakia’s Specialized Criminal Court to detain the suspect.

Prosecutors told police not to publicly identify the man or release other details about the case, but unconfirmed media reports said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard in the country’s southwest.

Government authorities gave details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn’t belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was politically motivated.

The courthouse in Pezinok, a small town outside the capital, Bratislava, was guarded by officers wearing balaclavas and carrying rifles. News media were not allowed in and reporters were kept behind a gate outside.

Police on Friday had taken the suspect to his home in the town of Levice and seized a computer and some documents, Markiza, a Slovak television station reported. Police didn’t comment.

With police remaining largely silent about the case, it was not clear how the suspect came to possess a firearm.

Slovakia has strict rules on firearms and gun owners must have a good reason to possess one and are required to pass a test.

As a consequence, Slovakia has one of the lowest gun ownership rates in Europe. It was ranked 23rd out of 27 European Union countries with a gun ownership rate of 6.5 per 100 people, according to the Association of Accredited Public Policy Advocates to the EU.

World leaders have condemned the attack and offered support for Fico and Slovakia.

Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. His return to power last year on a pro-Russia, anti-American platform led to worries among fellow European Union and NATO members that he would abandon his country’s pro-Western course, particularly on Ukraine.

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Slovakia was one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, but Fico halted arms deliveries to Ukraine when he returned to power, his fourth time serving as prime minister.

Fico’s government has also made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting — a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio. That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path.

Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country of 5.4 million to protest his policies.

Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the killing of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions.

Before Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged.

His plan to overhaul the penal system would eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism.

Associated Press reporters Karel Janicek in Vsetin, Czech Republic, and Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.

A general view of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is being treated, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation's leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A couple walk towards a building at the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is being treated, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation's leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Policemen guard the area as they wait for the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to be brought to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

Policemen guard the area as they wait for the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to be brought to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

A car supposedly carrying the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, arrives at court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

Members of the media film outside the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is being treated, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation's leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Journalists gather as they wait for the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to be brought to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

Policemen guard the area as they wait for the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to be brought to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

Policemen guard the area as convoy brings the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

FILE - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a press conference with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. A man charged with attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was escorted by police to his home on the morning of Friday, May 17, 2024, with media saying that it was part of a search for evidence. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos, File)

Policemen guard the area as convoy brings the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)