Ninth place for Jhonatan Narváez at Gran Piemonte

UAE Team Emirates-XRG continued to show itself in Italy on Thursday afternoon, with the Emirati squad making a bold attack with Isaac del Toro and ending Gran Piemonte with Jhonatan Narváez in ninth position.

It could have been the ultimate prize for Del Toro in Bra, but the Mexican was caught just 1.5km from the finish line and denied his shot at defending his title from last season. In his place, Narváez tried his best in the sprint, but was halted by a crash in the final 300m.

Thursday’s race was instead won by Dorian Godon of Netcomapny INEOS, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG having to settle for a top-10 placing. Despite this disappointment, the Emirati squad looks in good shape heading into the final Monument of the season, Il Lombardia, which is to take place this coming Saturday.

Earlier in the day at Gran Piemonte, UAE Team Emirates-XRG had taken the race by the scruff of its neck to set up attacks from its leaders. Control in the peloton was brought by Luca Giaimi and Filippo Baroncini, before the Italian pair’s teammates looked to up the pace on the final circuit.

With two ascents of the tough La Morra climb, it was the perfect place for the climbing duo of Daan Dijkman and Benoît Cosnefroy to combine. Thanks to their efforts, the peloton was thinned out, and on the final climb of the day, Del Toro was able to launch his trademark assault.

For a while, the Mexican champion could only be followed by Finn Fisher-Black of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and the pair began to head up the road. In the chasing group behind, UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates Narváez and Brandon McNulty did a masterful job of tracking the moves and neutralising subsequent attacks. Their work proved essential in offering Del Toro an assist at the head of the race.

After dropping Fisher-Black on the final slopes of La Morra, Del Toro was subsequently caught by his former teammate on the descent. It was here that Fisher-Black showed hesitation in helping the Mexican with the pace-setting, and this momentary loss of momentum would prove fateful to their hopes of jostling it out for the day’s honours.

A gap of 30 seconds for Del Toro and Fisher-Black began to evaporate, with the peloton behind swelling in numbers and full of motivation to work together to make the catch. The likes of Netcompany INEOS, EF Education-EasyPost and Jayco AlUla were all determined to bring the race together for a bunch sprint.

In the end, those in the peloton got their wish. Del Toro and Fisher-Black were caught just 1.5km from the finish. It was a shame for their ambitions, but circumstances had not fallen their way. In Del Toro’s place, it was down to Narváez to try his hand in the sprint that followed.

The former Ecuadorian national champion looked to have a mean turn of pace in his legs, but the sprint soon turned messy in Bra. There was a crash with 600m to go, and at 250m to go, Narváez bumped into one of his fellow riders, causing him to clip out of his pedal. Thanks to this blow, ninth place was to be the best placing for UAE Team Emirates-XRG on a day marked by strong legs and great teamwork.

Speaking after the race, Sports Director Marco Marzano reflected on the race and looked ahead to Il Lombardia on Saturday.

Marco Marzano (Sports Director): “I think we raced really well today. The team was strong and we tried to make the race as hard as possible, with Del Toro attacking on the final climb of La Morra. We also had a good plan for the sprint with Narváez and McNulty, but unfortunately Jhonatan lost his pedal after a crash in the final corner. He had the legs to fight for the win, but that’s racing. Overall, I’m happy with the team’s performance.

“We have a very strong team heading into Il Lombardia. McNulty and Del Toro will both be there, and Isaac has shown again today that he is in great shape. We go there with the ambition of fighting for victory.”

Gran Piemonte 2026 results:

1. Dorian Godon (Netcompany INEOS) 4:06:19

2. Anthon Charmig (Uno-X Mobility) s.t

3. Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team) s.t

9. Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +2″