Astana rider Silva makes history at Giro d'Italia

Becoming the first Uruguayan athlete to compete in the Giro d’Italia, Thomas Silva claimed an impressive stage win in an uphill sprint and moved into the overall race lead. Following today’s victory, Thomas Silva will start the next stage in the pink jersey on Sunday.

The second stage of the Giro d’Italia began in Burgas and finished after 221 kilometres in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. The race ended with an uphill sprint, where another XDS Astana Team rider, Christian Scaroni, delivered Thomas Silva into a perfect position in the final meters before the Uruguayan launched his winning sprint.

“It’s an incredible victory and an incredible day. Yes, we really wanted to try something today, and we knew the stage suited us well. We had several scenarios in mind, but in the end, it all came down to a sprint, and Cristian did an amazing job — he delivered me perfectly to the front so I could give everything in the sprint. This is something fantastic, and right now I’m overwhelmed with emotions; it’s hard to describe. My family is here with me these days, travelling along with the race, and it means so much to have them nearby and supporting me on a day like this. Today, the whole team was outstanding, so this success belongs to all of XDS Astana Team. I honestly have no words — yes, I really wanted to fight for a stage win, but now I’m also wearing the pink jersey, and that’s completely unexpected. There’s not much more I can say right now; the emotions are overwhelming,” said Thomas Silva after the stage victory.

In addition to his stage victory, Thomas Silva also moved into the lead of the best young rider classification.

Earlier, XDS Astana's Ballerini won stage 7 at the Tour of Türkiye.