{"id":665011,"date":"2026-05-12T18:59:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/665011\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T18:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:59:11","slug":"narvaez-strikes-for-decimated-uae-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/665011\/","title":{"rendered":"Narv\u00e1ez Strikes for Decimated UAE Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ciccone takes pink jersey as UAE keeps finding ways to win: Narv\u00e1ez kicks to victory for injury-torn team in his first race since suffering broken back. <\/p>\n

\"Jhonatan<\/p>\n

(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Updated May 12, 2026 10:08AM<\/p>\n

Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez put another win in the column for UAE Emirates-XRG<\/a> after team Movistar animated a breathless finale to Tuesday\u2019s stage at the Giro d\u2019Italia.<\/p>\n

Narv\u00e1ez won the reduced sprint ahead of Orluis Aular (Movistar) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl Trek) on stage 4 of the Italian tour after Movistar shelled all the pure sprinters ahead of a flat finale in Cosenza, Italy.<\/p>\n

It was some result Tuesday for Narv\u00e1ez and his embattled UAE super team<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The squad lost three riders in the brutal crash that rocked stage 2<\/a> this weekend, and the Ecuadorian is racing for the first time since he broke is back in January at the Tour Down Under.<\/p>\n

The team that last year broke the all-time single season stage-win record certainly isn\u2019t all about Tadej Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really big for me, coming from three months of training in Ecuador,\u201d Narv\u00e1ez said at the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank my family who supported me but this victory is also for my teammates who crashed. They\u2019ve been working for a while to come here in a good condition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took the victory today but we were good before stage 2 too. I think we are a lot happier now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ciccone and Christen move up
\n\"\"Ciccone gave the home tifosi, and team Lidl-Trek, something to smile about. <\/p>\n

Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) gave the home tifosi something to cheer for on the Giro\u2019s first stage on Italian soil and provided Lidl-Trek a timely mojo boost<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Italian moved into the pink jersey after he picked up bonuses at the line and at the Red Bull Kilometer.<\/p>\n

Overnight race leader Thomas Silva (XDS-Astana) was gapped by Movistar\u2019s all-out offense on the sprinters early in the stage.<\/p>\n

Jan Christen put even more momentum under UAE Emirates XRG by moving up to second overall on Tuesday\u2019s stage.<\/p>\n

The young Swiss vaulted up the GC after he won the Red Bull bonuses, and very nearly won the stage with an audacious solo raid in the final two kilometers.<\/p>\n

\u201cJan is a great guy, he was trying to take the maglia rosa,\u201d Narv\u00e1ez said. \u201cIn the end, I just had to wait for the sprint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pre-race favorite Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> finished safe in the bunch, but it wasn\u2019t a perfect day for the Dane.<\/p>\n

His veteran Visma-Lease a Bike Wilco Kelderman abandoned ahead of the stage due to the injuries he sustained in the brutal crash on stage 2 in Bulgaria.<\/p>\n

Banged-up Aussie speedster Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and sickly sprinter Arnaud de Lie (Lotto Intermarch\u00e9) also abandoned the stage.<\/p>\n

Movistar blows up stage, Bernal suffers<\/p>\n

The Giro landed into Italy after its Bulgarian start with a 138km romp across Calabria, deep in the southern foot of Italy\u2019s \u201cboot.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sprawling 14.4km cat 2 climb dominated the route profile. Topping out with 45km to go ahead of a long, fast descent and a 20km flat drag race to the finish, it dictated the outcome of the stage.<\/p>\n

Movistar blew up the climb to shell the heaviest sprinters for its fast finisher, Aular.<\/p>\n

It was like a bonfire of the speedsters as the heavyweights were burned off the group one-by-one.<\/p>\n

Overnight race leader Silva and two-time stage-winner Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) were among the victims of Movistar\u2019s relentless pace.<\/p>\n

Despite Movistar working all day, UAE outfoxed them in the finale. \ud83d\udc81\u200d\u2642\ufe0fFirst, Jan Christen’s attack softened Movistar and Lidl-Trek and then Narvaez finished it off with a great sprint, like the one when he beat Pogacar two years ago. #GirodItalia<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ErS8mGzOQY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) May 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Egan Bernal (Netcompany Ineos) was also dropped in what might be a warning of things to come. The former Giro winner didn\u2019t lose time in the final but endured a long chase back after Ineos dropped riders back to assist.<\/p>\n

The hopes of Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) were also saved by the chasing group after he was held up by a mechanical on the long descent.<\/p>\n

Giro d\u2019Italia stage 4 results:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n