Rome: UAE Team Emirates-XRG continued its strong performance at the Giro d’Italia, with Ecuadorian rider Jhonatan Narváez winning stage eight to secure the team’s third victory within a week.
Narváez claimed victory after launching a long-range attack alongside teammate Mikkel Bjerg with 76 kilometres remaining. The duo formed a leading breakaway group with Norwegian rider Andreas Leknessund of Uno-X Mobility.
With 9.8 kilometres to go, Narváez made a decisive move following strong support from Bjerg, breaking clear to finish in Fermo 32 seconds ahead of Leknessund. The win marked Narváez’s second stage victory of this year’s Giro d’Italia.
After the race, Narváez praised Bjerg, calling him “the man of the day” for his key role in setting up the win.
In the general classification, Portugal’s Afonso Eulálio of Bahrain-Victorious retained the pink jersey, leading Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard by 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
Meanwhile, in the Tour de Hongrie, UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Benoît Cosnefroy held on to second place overall after finishing fifth in the fourth and penultimate stage.
The stage was shortened and the final lap cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, giving breakaway riders a greater chance to contest the stage. Sweden’s Jakob Söderqvist of Lidl-Trek won the stage and moved into the overall lead, 40 seconds ahead of Cosnefroy going into the final stage.