The fortified city of Visegrad proved to be the right place for the coronation. Mathieu Van der Pol was the favorite to win the first stage of the Giro d'Italia, winning the first maria rope of the race in a dominant sprint.

Biniam Guillemay (Intermarché-Wantigovert) put up a fierce resistance in the last 100 meters, but the result was only a moment of doubt. Van der Pol's teammate Dries de Bond said: "Mathieu is practically unbeatable when he can pick his moments in a finish like this."

The 5km drag course leading up to the Danube River line may have been designed with Van der Poel in mind. The Alpecin Phoenix team intended to guide the leader until the last 500 meters."

Van der Poel had a variety of weapons at his disposal in such a finale, but there was no question as to what he would use here. From the outset, Van der Pol planned to conserve raw power for the sprint, rather than powering through the early part of the climb.

"It's not that steep and you have an advantage in the draft. If you go too fast and the others leave their teammates behind, you're screwing yourself," DeBond explained.

"And I think Mathieu knows that timing better than anyone."

Van der Pol was certainly right, catching up to Dangerman's Guillemay with a few meters to go and gradually outpacing the Eritrean as the Arrivo flag came into view.

"I think the last kilometer was pretty OK," Van der Pol said in the mixed zone, his pink jersey draped over his shoulders. "I got boxed in a couple of times and had to go around to regroup. That took a little bit of energy, but in the end I still had plenty of energy left for the sprint."

The Dutchman was already on his way home when Caleb Yuan (Lotto Soudal) crashed just before the line after hitting Girmay's wheel. 'I didn't see him crash,' said Gilmey. But I think everybody was suffering and in the end I won."

Van der Pol's style is not as economical as that of his great rival, Wout Van Aert, but there is a strange grace in the way he strains every muscle in the sprint, like a Boccioni sculpture fleshed out. It may not have been the masterpiece that outwitted Tadei Pogachar at the Tour de France or launched the onslaught in last year's Tour de France Mule de Bretagne, but it certainly added weight to his work.

"It's pretty special. I had to dig so deep that I didn't get a chance to celebrate at the finish line, but in a few hours I'll realize what I did with the team," said van der Poel, who added Maglia Rosa to the yellow jersey he wore at last year's Tour.

The event took on a deeper meaning for van der Poel, who was able to dedicate the feat to his late grandfather, Raymond Poulidor, who had never worn the maillot jaune in his long association with the Tour. While it will not have the same resonance in the Giro, Van der Pol hopes to at least echo some of that experience by defending his lead in the 9km time trial in Budapest on Saturday.

Last July, van der Poel held onto the yellow jersey after the stage 5 time trial to Laval, fending off Pogachar. On Saturday, Van der Poel will run down the start ramp 14 seconds ahead of the established time trialists in this race.

"I didn't think I could hold yellow after the time trial at the Tour," said the team's leader.

"I've seen a bit of the parcours tomorrow and there are quite a few turns and a hill at the end. I'll be able to say a bit more about it tomorrow morning after I've had a proper look at the parcours at Recon, but I'll do my best to keep the jersey."