Results Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2026 stage 1 | Second INEOS Grenadiers win of the day as Axel Laurance wins opening sprint

The Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2026 opened with results that perfectly reflected the parity in the bunch on this high-speed opening day, finished without time gaps. After 3:44:52 of racing, the peloton hit the line as one, delaying any real selection to the coming days. The winner was Axel Laurance.

The standout rider was the INEOS Grenadiers man. The team capped a perfect day with Dorian Godon’s victory on stage 3 of the Volta a Catalunya 2026. Behind him, Mauro Schmid and Diego Ulissi crossed the line second and third respectively, both on the same time. Schmid showed his usual punch, while the ever-reliable Ulissi confirmed he remains competitive in these finishes.

The top 10 offers several takeaways. Adrien Boichis delivered a notable fourth place, strengthening his status as a young rider to watch. Team UKYO also impressed, slotting Nicolo Garibbo and Federico Iacomoni into fifth and sixth, a clear statement of intent from day one.

In seventh came Milan Vader, increasingly settled in the road peloton, while Tommaso Bambagioni took eighth to maintain the strong Italian presence up front. Alessandro Fancellu, ninth, and Filippo Turconi, tenth, rounded out the top ten, both confirming their consistency in this type of finale.

The key to the day was the complete absence of splits: the first fifty riders were all credited with the same time, leaving the general classification wide open. Only the bonuses allow Laurance to take the leader’s jersey, with Schmid and Ulissi immediately in range.