Jhonathan Narváez dedicates win to dropped out teammates: "Worked hard for it"

Jhonatan Narváez ended the struggles of his troubled team, UAE Emirates XRG, with a win in the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia, after Jay Vine and Adam Yates dropped out due to a crash in the second stage. "I have to thank my team," said the Ecuadorian in the post-race flash interview.

For Narváez, who had just returned to racing in this Giro following a crash at the Tour Down Under, the victory means a lot to him. "This is very big. I come here after three months of training in Ecuador. I have to thank my family, my wife, and my team for their support. This one was for my teammates who crashed in the second stage. They also worked hard to be in good shape to start here," said the 29-year-old all-rounder.

"I am happy that we finally managed to win after riding well already in the second stage," Narváez said, who also saw his teammate Jan Christen make a late attack from the peloton. "Jan is a good guy. He wanted to take the pink jersey. He is still young, so he has to learn how to race, but he rode a fantastic finale. After that, I had to wait for the sprint."

In the final straight, it was Movistar’s Orluis Aular who seemed on course for victory for a long time, but Narváez closed the gap in the last dozens of meters. "I knew that they (Movistar, ed.) had ridden hard on the climb. Ciccone was also there. I took a good corner with 700 meters to go. In the final straight, it was mostly about the legs," he concluded.