Narváez bags a hat-trick in Chiavari!

Jhonatan Narváez has acquired a taste for winning and, in Chiavari, on Stage 11 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, he completed a hat-trick. Once again, victory came at the end of a breakaway, but this time it was a two-man sprint against Enric Mas (Movistar) that saw him prevail, making the most of his superior turn of speed. Finishing in third place, a few seconds adrift, was the evergreen Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana), claiming the 13th Giro stage podium of his career, fifteen years after his first.

The relentless ups and downs of the Ligurian coast and the Cinque Terre also took their toll on the peloton, which was reduced to around thirty riders by the finish. However, the Maglia Rosa Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) had no trouble securing another day at the top of the general classification.

Enric Mas on the attack with Narvaez

The opening two hours flew by at an average speed of over 50 km/h: attacks flying in every direction, surges and regroupings, plus a couple of crashes — one of which forced Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) out of the race. In the end, after more than 100 km of relentless battle, a group of 17 riders eventually managed to break clear: Martin Marcellusi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ United), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché), Enric Mas (Movistar), Chris Harper (Pinarello Q36.5), Nico Denz, Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Jasper Stuyven, Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), Warren Barguil (Picnic PostNL), Mattia Bais, Ludovico Crescioli, Alessandro Tonelli (Polti VisitMalta), Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Alberto Bettiol, Christian Scaroni and Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana).

In truth, the group of 17 did not stay together for long. Already on the ascent of Colle di Guaitarola, the front group began to splinter, and on the descent Scaroni, Zana and Van Eetvelt crashed — fortunately without serious consequences. On the timed ascent of Colla dei Scioli (with the fastest climb of the day set by Markel Beloki), Ulissi attacked first, followed by Mas, while behind them an injured Scaroni attempted a desperate chase.

On the final and decisive climb to the Red Bull KM in Cogorno, only six riders remained at the front: Ulissi, Narváez, Harper, Mas, Vlasov and Crescioli. Enric Mas attacked once again, showing clear signs of improving form, but Jhonatan Narváez stayed glued to his wheel. The pair surged towards Chiavari, with the Spaniard ceasing to cooperate 2 km from the finish, while behind them Ulissi, Vlasov and Harper tried in vain to bridge the gap.

On the Riviera di Levante, it ultimately came down to a two-man sprint, with Narváez claiming his fifth Giro stage victory and becoming the most successful Ecuadorian rider in the history of the Corsa Rosa — surpassing Richard Carapaz.

Results

STAGE RESULT
1 – Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) – 195 km in 4h33’43”, average speed 42.744 km/h
2 – Enric Mas (Movistar Team) s.t.
3 – Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team) – 11″

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious)
2 – Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 27″
3 – Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos) – 1’57”

CLICK HERE to check all the rankings.

Just seconds after crossing the finish line, stage winner Jhonatan Narváez said: “It was a tough stage, especially because we missed the first breakaway and then the second one as well. After two hours of hard racing, I tried to bridge across directly to the front of the race. I managed to hold on in the climbs, because I realised Enric was the strongest. I was at my limit because we went full gas all day, but I managed to pull it off once again.”