You love to see it! Nicolò Garibbo pulled off a surprise on the first stage of the Giro di Sardegna. The 26-year-old from Team UKYO, a small Japanese Continental squad, timed his sprint perfectly to edge out Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) and two Soudal Quick-Step riders, Filippo Zana and Gianmarco Garofoli. It’s the first pro win of his career, and it came in style, as reported by Wierlflits.
The race hasn’t been run for some time. 15 years, in fact.
The last time, back in 2011, Peter Sagan won it when he was riding Liquigas-Cannondale.
This time, only two WorldTeams were present. XDS Astana and Soudal Quick-Step were there, with riders like Pascal Eenkhoorn, Mauri Vansevenant, and Zana.
Stage 1, from Castelsardo to Bosa, was definitely a doozy. Two long climbs, the Osilo and Villanova Monteleone, tenderized the rider’s legs.
A group of five riders got away early. The break was Roberto Carlos González, Matteo Spreafico, Philipp Hofbauer, Hamish Armitt, and Cristian Remelli. Zana joined them on the Villanova climb, while Garibbo, Berrade, and Garofoli chased from behind. They eventually all came together with the breakaway, setting up the finale.
In the last kilometres, Soudal Quick-Step tried to control the sprint. But the savvy Garibbo stayed patient. The cagey rider flew by Zana at the line. For Team UKYO, it was a helluva start for the race.
Garibbo, 26, has been racing with Conti teams for the past few years. After several Club teams, he rode for Team Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna in 2024, before transferring to Team UKYO. in 2025, he finished 3rd on the GC in the Tour de Kyushu, as well as a podium at the Tour of Japan.
This year, he appears to be levelling up–he also took a very respectable 13th overall at the AlUla Tour, a race with mostly WorldTour and ProTeams.