Eddie Dunbar and his Ineos Grenadiers team mates came through the opening stage of Tirreno Adriatico safely after avoiding a crash late in the race that cause splits through the field.
However, while the Irish cyclist was caught on the wrong side of the time gaps, they were neutralised because the crash occurred in the last 3km of the stage.
That meant after the short, mainly flat, 133km stage starting and finishing in Lido di Camaiore, Dunbar was credited with the same time was stage winner Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe).
The German rider squeezed through an impossibly small gap against the barriers at speed to pass several riders and mug Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) on the line; the winner even managing to lunge at the line to take the win despite the tiny space he was operating in.
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The overhead footage of the sprint, below, shows just how expertly Ackermann maneuvered in the final sprint and just why he was so delighted with his stage win and leader's jersey.
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Tomorrow's 201km stage from Camaiore to Follonica features a number of small climbs, like today, but may end in another bunch sprint.
Dunbar, who celebrated his 24th birthday last week, is in the same Ineos Grenadiers line-up with Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome, with the team saying it had ridden for Thomas today.
However, Dunbar has come into the race after a brilliant performance in Giro dell'Emilia three weeks ago when he finished 4th in very big company and has the legs to make an impact this week in Italy as he builds towards the Giro d'Italia.
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