Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) sprinted to victory on stage four of the Giro d’Italia, as Italy’s Giulio Ciccone claimed the overall leader’s pink jersey. The 138km stage from Catanzaro to Cosenza in Calabria marked the race’s return to Italy after opening three stages in Bulgaria.
Narváez, who had not raced since a crash in January at the Tour Down Under, outpaced Orluis Aular (Venezuela) on the uphill finish, while Ciccone crossed third to take the maglia rosa. “It’s really big for me, coming from three months training in Ecuador,” said Narváez. “I want to say thanks to my family, my wife, my team. They’ve been a great support in this time.”
The decisive action began on the climb to Cozzo Tunno, 80km into the stage, which shattered the peloton and left a reduced group of 40 riders. Aular’s Movistar team set the pace, reeling in a six-rider breakaway and dropping previous race leader Guillermo Thomas Silva of Uruguay, who finished over 12 minutes down.
Narváez’s teammate Jan Christen attacked inside the final 1.5km but was caught. Christen moved into second overall, four seconds behind Ciccone, who took the pink jersey thanks to bonus seconds at the finish and an intermediate sprint. “Jan is a great guy, he was trying to take the pink jersey,” Narváez said. “He’s a young guy, he needs to learn how to race.”
Australia’s Kaden Groves abandoned on Tuesday due to injuries from a crash on stage one. Stage five on Wednesday is a 203km hilly ride from Praia a Mare to Potenza.
