UAE Team Emirates-XRG finally had something to smile about at this year's Giro d'Italia as Jhonatan Narvaez powered to victory on Tuesday's Stage 4.
The Ecuadorian rider edged past Orluis Aular (Movistar Team) to claim victory in a thrilling sprint finish, while Italian Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) took over the leader's pink jersey by crossing the line in third.
Narvaez's victory was a cathartic one for UAE Team Emirates who have endured a rough start to the Giro, losing keys riders after a horror crash on Saturday while also having Joao Almeida drop out pre-race due to illness.
Lead rider Adam Yates, Jay Vine and Marc Soler were among those who were forced out of the Grand Tour battle following the huge Stage 2 pile-up.
That made it a special win for Narvaez who had also suffered a bad crash at the Tour Down Under which had ruled him out for a considerable time.
“It's really big for me, this victory here, coming from three months training in Ecuador,” Narvaez said.
“I want to say thanks to my family, my wife, my team. They've been a great support in this time, and obviously, this victory is also for my teammates who crashed on Stage 2.
“They've been working for a while to come here in good condition. We take the victory today, but we were good before Stage 2 too, so I think we are a lot happier now.”
The result coincided with the race's arrival home in Italy following the opening three stages in Bulgaria.
After Aular hit the front ahead of Ciccone, Narvaez came from behind to take control of the race.
The 138-km ride from Catanzaro to Cosenza only kicked into gear when the stage reached the foot of the long climb to Cozzo Tunno 80 km into the race, and the peloton was broken up leaving a reduced bunch of 40 riders to fight for the stage.
With a little over a kilometre to go, UAE team rider Christen went on the attack. But Matteo Sobrero (Lidl-Trek) reeled him in with less than 500m to go. Up ahead, Narveez followed Ciccone and Aular and powered to the finish line in the final 100m.
Ciccone took the overall lead, four seconds ahead of UAE Team Emirates rider Christen, whose bonus points helped him climb up the GC classification as well.
“Jan is a great guy, he was trying to take the maglia rosa. He's a young guy; he needs to learn how to race.
“He did a great final, and in the end, for me it was just waiting for the sprint,” Narvaez said of his teammate's late effort, which set up his victory.
Wednesday's Stage 5 is a 203-km hilly ride from Praia a Mare to Potenza.
Stage 4 result
1. Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): 3:08:46
2. Orluis Aular (Movistar Team): same time
3. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek): s.t
General classification
1. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek): 16:18:51
2. Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): +4
3. Florian Stork (Tudor Pro Cycling Team): same time
