Giro d'Italia: Jhonatan Narváez holds off Tadej Pogačar in lighting-fast stage 1 finish

05/05/2024

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) failed to win the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia but immediately showed his intentions by going on the attack on the late San Vito climb and distancing all his overall rivals.

Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers) managed to stay with Pogačar and then beat him and Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) in a close sprint to the line.

A chase group that included Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), finished 10 seconds behind. Pogačar took four bonus seconds for his third place and so has already gained 14 seconds on his main rivals.

Other riders lost more time. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) shipped 57 seconds, while Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) lost 2:17 after all three suffered on the earlier Colle Maddalena climb. Florian Lipowitz (Bora-Hansgrohe) lost 2:25.

giro d'italia: jhonatan narváez holds off tadej pogačar in lighting-fast stage 1 finish

Giro d’Italia 2024: Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) holds off Tadej Pogaćar (UAE Team Emirates) at finish in Turin for stage 1 win, Maximilian Schachmann of Bora-Hansgrohe (right) in second

Canada’s Riley Pickrell (Israel-Premier Tech) and David Dekker (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) where the last to finish, over 17 minutes down, after a hard and intense first day of racing at the 2024 Giro d’Italia.

Narváez won a stage in 2020 but took the biggest win of his career and also took the first maglia rosa of the 2024 Giro d’Italia.

“It was a great feeling. We knew it was going to be a stage for me and I worked a lot on it,” Narváez said, still in pain after going deep to stay on Pogačar’s wheel.

“Following the best guy in the world on the climb was really hard, so it’s a special victory today. It’s still hurting me now. It was really hard, really, really hard but in the end, I made it.”

Narváez took advantage of Pogačar’s desire to win in the sprint.

“I think he went too long in the sprint, 200 metres after a really hard stage and I did a short sprint and in the end I took the victory,” he said as he realised he would pull on the maglia rosa.

“For me it’s amazing.There aren’t many opportunities in a Grand Tour to get the maglia rosa on the first day because you have a bunch sprint, a TT or a different stage. Today was a good opportunity. I worked really, really hard for it.”

How it unfolded

A 140km opening stage perhaps seemed like a gentle way to start the Giro d’Italia but as riders discovered during final training rides after arriving in Italy, the stage has a nasty finale that would surely inspire attacks. Indeed it was the first stage for 29 years to include classified climbs, with the late 1.4km, 9.8% San Vito climb ending just three kilometres from the finish. Most of the sprinters knew they had no chance of victory but that only boosted the chances of the puncheur and GC riders.

The riders appeared relaxed and happy to start racing as they signed on in Venaria Reale. The sun was out and the 107th Giro d’Italia was about to begin but everyone knew it would not be an easy day of racing. The 176-rider peloton rolled out of the former royal palace, dividing the huge crowds, who cheered the riders off on a warm, spring Saturday.

There were few early attacks but the break of the day soon formed on the flat roads north of Turin. After just 10 kilometres, Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Wanty), Louis Barré (Arkéa B&B Hotels), Nicolas Debeaumarché (Cofidis), Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Andrea Pietrobon (Polti Kometa) and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl-Trek) got away and the peloton soon slowed, with UAE Team Emirates and everyone else happy for a controlled race.

When the breakaway’s lead touched two minutes, UAE Team Emirates took up the chase, with Vegard Stake Laengen doing the hard work on the front. He kept the gap to between 1:20 and 2:00.

The first climb to Berzano di San Pietro came after 50km and Fiorelli won the sprint for the KOM points. The first of two daily intermediate sprints came in Moriondo Torinese after 60km and he used his speed to win again and score the first points for the cyclamen-coloured points jersey.

The finale begins on the climb to Superga

Next up was the Superga climb with 60km to go. The Giro d’Italia remembered the Grande Torino football team by visiting the climb, exactly 75 years after the legendary Torino soccer team died in a plane crash on the hilltop that overlooks the city.

Calmejane was the first to break the harmony in the break but was soon caught and passed by Ghebreigzabhier, who was the first to the summit of the Superga, cheered on by huge crowds, many waving Torino flags.

Behind, as the Superga began for the peloton, UAE Team Emirates suddenly appeared on the front and in formation. The finale of the stage had begun. It was suddenly ‘race on’.

The peloton soon began to sweep up the remains of the breakaway, with Calmejane and Ghebreigzabhier the last to stay out front and Pietrobon and Fiorelli chasing them.

The fast descent took the riders down to central Turin and a ride through the finish area after the intergiro sprint in Moncalieri. Calmejane led Ghebreigzabhier over the line, with Pietrobon and Fiorelli chasing at a minute.

The peloton was at nearly three minutes but still in control. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the sprint for fifth and four points for the points competition, beating Danny Van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck). They appeared to be the sprinter contenders for the 2024 cyclamen jersey.

Before passing through the finish along the Po river, the race turned right into the foothills for the San Vito climb. This first time it made little difference but would end just three kilometres from the finish in Turin after a 30km circuit.

UAE Team Emirates led the peloton through the finish, the bell ringing out 1:50 after Calmejane and Ghebreigzabhier passed the same spot. There were already several chasing groups much further behind.

The circuit included the Colle Maddalena, the 7.4, 6.8% climb starting soon after the finish area. Mikkel Zberg set a high pace in the peloton and riders were soon dropped, including Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) and surprisingly Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), who was sixth overall in 2023. Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) also suffered and had to fight to get back on.

The peloton was shaken to just 40 or so riders as UAE Team Emirates imposed their authority. Wisely, Alaphilippe was glued to Pogačar’s wheel, with Thomas just behind him.

Up front, Calmejane dropped Ghebreigzabhier on the Colle Maddalena and was first to the top to take 18 precious KOM points but the peloton was just behind him. Bardet was 30 or seconds behind in a chase group, with Arensman alone and even further back.

Pogačar uses up his UAE Team Emirates squad

UAE Team Emirates had chased the break and so Pogačar only had Rafał Majka with him, while other teams had multiple riders. That left UAE Team Emirates exposed and unable to control the race. Indeed, after the fast descent, with 15km to go, Calmejane was still clear but a group of chasers jumped across to him, hoping to steal a march before the final assault of the San Vito climb. Pogačar could only let them go and wait for the final climb.

In the move were Schachmann, Mikkel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost), Nicola Conci (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Alex Baudin (Decathlon AG2R) and Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco AlUla).

They had a lead of 15 seconds with 10km to go and then 30 seconds with six kilometres to go as only Majka worked behind for the Pogačar group.

Conci took off alone on the flat road and started the San Vito climb with a lead of 30 seconds but suffered on the steepest gradients.

As soon as the climb began, Pogačar started his pursuit of the stage victory and soon blew the group apart and only Narváez was able to stay with him. Alaphilippe tried but soon lost contact, as Pogačar closed the gap on the attackers. Only Schachmann was able to stay with Pogačar and Narváez as the summit neared.

Conci was still away near the summit but Pogačar had the speed and power to close him down as the chasers tried but struggled to keep him in sight. They were already 10 seconds behind.

Narváez cleverly forced Pogačar to lead down the descent and into the flat final kilometre and onto the rising finish. Pogačar was desperate to win after UAE Team Emirates’ hard work and his three searing attacks on the last climb but it proved to be his downfall. Narváez came off his wheel to beat him to the line and take a huge win for the Ecuadorian rider and for Ineos Grenadiers.

Pogačar was disappointed but could take consolation in the seconds he had gained on his GC rivals. Next up is the 11.8km, 6.2% mountain finish to Oropa on Sunday, where the time gaps could be even bigger, especially with Pogačar keen to make up for his stage 1 defeat.