UAE Strike Back in Cosenza: Jhonatan Narváez Wins! Giulio Ciccone Takes the Maglia Rosa!

Movistar Team animated the race and delivered the spectacle, but in the end it was Jhonatan Narváez celebrating on the finish line in Cosenza. The Ecuadorian rider — now a three-time stage winner at the Giro d’Italia — finally gives UAE Team Emirates XRG something to smile about after a bruising and unlucky opening few days, powering to an emphatic sprint victory ahead of Orluis Aular (Movistar Team) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl–Trek).

For the rider from Abruzzo, however, the bonus seconds were enough to propel him to the top of the general classification and into the Maglia Rosa, following the struggles of Thomas Silva (XDS Astana Team) on the climb to Cozzo Tunno.

Having already worn the maillot jaune at the Tour de France, Ciccone now fulfils a lifelong dream by pulling on the Maglia Rosa as well — exactly 10 years (and 150 stages) after his first Giro stage victory, in Sestola wearing the colours of VF Group Bardiani–CSF Faizanè.

Full Gas Right Of the Bat

Helped by a rather strong wind, the start from Catanzaro was much faster than in recent stages, with a six-man breakaway going clear: Martin Marcellusi (VF Group Bardiani–CSF Faizanè), Darren Rafferty (EF Education–EasyPost), Johan Jacobs (Groupama–FDJ), Warren Barguil (Team Picnic PostNL), Mattia Bais (Team Polti VisitMalta) and Niklas Larsen (Unibet Tietema Rockets), who managed to build an advantage of up to 2’20” over the peloton.

Darren Rafferty remained the virtual Maglia Rosa for several kilometres — starting the day only 10 seconds behind Thomas Silva — but the breakaway’s hopes faded badly on the climb to Cozzo Tunno (14.5 km at 5.9%).

Any doubts over whether the sprinters could survive the long climb were quickly answered, as Movistar Team hit the opening slopes at full speed, dropping fast men one after another. With 10 km still to the summit, thanks to the relentless pace of an outstanding Lorenzo Milesi, riders such as Dylan Groenewegen, Jonathan Milan, Paul Magnier, Tobias Lund Andresen and even the Maglia Rosa Thomas Silva had already been distanced.

As the riders approached the summit, with the lead group reduced to around forty riders, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) also found himself in difficulty. However, he managed to rejoin on the descent thanks to the remarkable work of Ben Turner (eventually 4th in the sprint) and Matteo Sobrero (Lidl–Trek), who helped bring Derek Gee back after the Canadian had lost ground due to a puncture.

At the Red Bull KM, Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates XRG) picked up 6 bonus seconds, Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) took 4, and Giulio Ciccone collected 2. The young Swiss rider then attempted to disrupt Movistar Team’s sprint plans with a late finisseur-style attack.

Unfortunately for him, the Spanish squad — supported by Lidl–Trek — stayed alert and reeled him back in with 500 metres to go. No matter for UAE Team Emirates XRG, though, as Jhonatan Narváez launched like a missile to secure victory for the Emirati team.

In the end, Movistar Team had to settle for 2nd place with Orluis Aular, but cycling fans will surely thank and applaud them for the thrilling finale they helped create.

General Classification

1 – Giulio Ciccone (Lidl–Trek)
2 – Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates XRG) at 4″
3 – Florian Stork (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) at 4″

Shortly after crossing the finish line, stage winner Jhonatan Narváez declared: “This victory is absolutely huge for me. After my crash in Australia in January, I spent three months training in Ecuador. I want to thank my wife, my family and my team for supporting me through this difficult period. Obviously, I dedicate this win to my teammates who had to leave the Giro. We worked really well to take this stage. Jan Christen is a great guy — today he was trying to take the Maglia Rosa. He’s a young rider who still has to learn how to race. He delivered a great finale and, as far as I was concerned, with him up the road it was just a matter of waiting for the sprint. I took the corner really well, and then on the final straight it was simply about having the right legs.”