ROME, UAE (WAM) – UAE Team Emirates-XRG enjoyed a superb day at the Giro d’Italia as Ecuadorian rider Jhonatan Narváez powered to victory on stage 4 from Catanzaro to Cosenza (138km) after an explosive finale, while teammate Jan Christen animated the closing kilometres with a late attack and moved into the maglia bianca as best young rider.
The key move came inside the final 2km when Christen launched a sharp acceleration on the technical run-in. The move forced the main favourites onto the defensive and set the scene for Narvaez’s sprint.
In his first race since breaking several vertabrae at the Tour Down Under in January, Narváez took a convincing win in the sprint ahead of Orluis Aular (Movistar) who finished second and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) in third who now wears the Maglia Rosa ahead of stage 5.
The victory marked a strong return for Narváez in his first appearance since suffering serious injuries during the Tour Down Under in January, where he sustained several fractured vertebrae.
Meanwhile, Christen finished the stage safely among the leading group to move into second place in the general classification, just four seconds behind the leader, while also topping the best young rider standings and claiming the white jersey.
NEWS AND IMAGE COURTESY: WAM NEWS (www.wam.ae)
