Unstoppable Narvaez doubles up in breakaway bonanza on Giro stage 8

Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) mastered the hills in the Marche at the end of an unrelenting day to win stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia in Fermo.

The stage started with a bang, and there were many breakaway attempts before the race-winning move went. The key move came with around 70km remaining when Narváez and his teammate Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) formed a strong trio alongside Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility).

While a large chase group formed behind, the gap to the front trio was insurmountable, and eventually Nárvaez made his mark with 10km to the finish. Leknessund battled on the brutal walls on the final run-in to Fermo, but Narváez was able to hammer home his advantage to take his second stage win ahead of Leknessund. 

After such a difficult start to the race for UAE, losing Marc Soler, Jay Vine and Adam Yates in the Bulgarian Grande Partenza, Narváez’s second stage win represents a remarkable comeback alongside Igor Arrieta’s victory on stage 5. 

Behind, it wasn’t a straightforward day for the GC contenders, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) caught out in a brief split. Ultimately, there were no significant differences at the finish, meaning Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious) leads the Giro heading into the second mountain top finish on Sunday. 

A rapid start to the stage saw Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana) and Filippo Ganna (Netcompany-Ineos) forge the first significant move. While the Italian duo cooperated well, a relentless chase from behind shut down their breakaway with 100km remaining.

Amidst the all-action opening, Jake Stewart (NSN) and Fabio Christen (Pinarello-Q36.5) were forced to abandon, with the latter suffering a crash while battling at the front of the peloton.

Shortly after, Norwegian champion Leknessund launched a brief solo attack. While that initial move failed to stick, the persistent Norwegian soon escaped again, this time forming a stronger trio with UAE teammates Bjerg and Jhonatan Narváez to build a one-minute advantage.

Behind them, tension flared with 70km to go when a sudden split in the peloton caught Jonas Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike off guard. However, the Dutch squad reacted quickly to mend the gap.

The race reshuffled again with 65km left as a dangerous 21-rider move went clear, with stage 5 winner Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) the closest placed in GC.

Ten kilometres later, the peloton closed in on the breakaway on the lower slopes of the Montefiore d’Aso. However, the looming catch triggered a fresh wave of attacks as riders used the junction to bridge across, swelling the size of the chasing group, including Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana), with the Italian highest placed overall. 

With 51km remaining, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) launched an attack. Race leader Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious) and Jonas Vingegaard both reacted immediately, prompting Visma to shut down any further moves from the bunch. 

Over the summit, the leading trio held a one-minute advantage over the expanded chasing group, while the neutralised peloton trailed a further minute behind. Many tried to break clear of the chasing group, with the group too big to cooperate efficiently, but only Javier Romo (Movistar) could get clear.

With just over 10km to go, Bjerg opened up a gap, forcing Leknessund to close. As soon as the Norwegian did so, Narváez countered. Once more, Leknessund could respond, but a gap opened with 10km on the approach to the steep category 4 Capodarco. 

Leknessund battled, but Narváez held his advantage on the climb before the gap reduced slightly over the crest. However, with steeper walls inside the final 5km to Fermo, Narváez was able to withstand the challenge of the Norwegian to hold on for his second stage win.