The cycling market is red hot and at the Giro d'Italia, teams and agents are having active conversations regarding some of the best riders in the world. Jhonatan Narváez is set to leave INEOS Grenadiers and whilst Movistar have made their bid for the Ecuadorian star, it is now almost certain that he will join Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates.
The first maglia rosa of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, Jhonatan Narvaez, will not remain with INEOS Grenadiers next season. The talented Ecuadorian puncheur will leave the British squad to join the man he prevented from becoming leader on the first day of the Giro d'Italia, Tadej Pogacar, at UAE Team Emirates.
The man who looks set to represent Ecuador at the next Olympic Games in Paris has exploded this year proving to be a great classics secialist and showing impressive legs in this year's Giro d'Italia, in which he won the first stage and came close to winning a couple more (second in Fano on stage 12, for example, and a near-miss with a late attack on stage 9).
If this transfer is to happen, it will further boost what is already the strongest team in the sport. He is a great addition to the UAE classics team, either to support Tadej Pogacar or, as Nils Politt has been doing, to get results on his own. Moreover, as he is proving in this Giro, he is a rider capable of making a living in grand tours and winning stages, as well as being able to help his leaders with his strength on difficult terrain.
TRIUMPHS
Despite his quality, the Playón de San Francisco native has only accumulated 11 wins in his professional career, with his victories in this year's Giro and 2020 standing out above the rest.
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Thus, he has been twice winner of the national road championship of Ecuador (he won it this year), has won a stage and the overall of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali (2020), overall and 3 stages of the Tour of Austria 2023 and the road race of the Pan-american Games also last year. So, beyond the national championships, Narvaez has barely been able to win in 3 races throughout his already long career: Coppi e Bartali, Austria and the Giro. It is clear that now is the time to take a step forward.
So far he has only raced one Grand Tour other than the Giro, and that was the Vuelta a España in 2021, where he had to abandon the race prematurely.
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