"Arriving in Italy in the pink jersey is something incredible": Guillermo Thomas Silva enjoys a quiet day in the lead at the Giro d'Italia

Taking the overall lead at a Grand Tour is a dream for any professional cyclist, but doing it during the opening weekend is always a massive bonus. For XDS Astana Team's Guillermo Thomas Silva, that dream became a reality in Bulgaria. After grabbing the maglia rosa on a crazy stage 2, the Uruguayan rider had a much easier time during stage 3. He managed to stay out of trouble all day, making sure he will be the man wearing the maglia rosa when the race finally reaches Italy.

After the crashes and bad weather of the previous day, the third stage gave the overall contenders a chance to relax a bit. Because it was a flat route, the sprinter teams did all the heavy lifting to chase down the early breakaway. This allowed Silva and his teammates to just sit in the wheels and hide from the wind.

Crossing the line without any issues, he easily defended his spot at the top of the overall standings. He was clearly thrilled with how his first day as a Grand Tour leader went.

"It was an incredible day, I enjoyed it," Silva said after the finish. "The goal was to keep the pink jersey and I would say we achieved it. I felt good, it was a pretty quiet stage all things considered."

The Giro d'Italia will now take a rest day on Monday as the riders and teams travel from Bulgaria to Italy. When the racing starts up again, there will be a few punchy stages that actually suit Silva's riding style. Because of this, people are already starting to guess how long he might be able to hold onto the lead.

But for now, the young Uruguayan isn't worrying about the future. He is simply focused on celebrating the moment and enjoying his travel day as the boss of the race. "Arriving in Italy in the pink jersey is something incredible," he said with a huge smile.