“I thought I was one of the strongest, but it became very long for me” - Orluis Aular misses chance to reward Movistar destruction with Giro d’Italia stage win

Movistar Team ripped Stage 4 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia apart, but Orluis Aular couldn't quite finish the job in Cosenza.

After the Spanish team shredded the peloton on the Cozzo Tunno climb, dropped the pink jersey Guillermo Thomas Silva, removed most of the pure sprinters from contention and set up what looked like a golden chance for their Venezuelan finisher, Aular was left to settle for a near miss as Jhonatan Narvaez delivered a badly needed victory for UAE Team Emirates - XRG.

Aular came into the final corner in second position and launched his sprint, but the uphill drag to the line proved too much. Speaking to Cycling Pro Net after the stage, he admitted the finale had slipped away after a huge amount of work from Movistar.

“We did everything we had planned in the meeting and the truth is that when we work like that, it shows,” Aular said. “We will keep trying.”

The stage had looked uncertain for much of the day, with a six-man breakaway featuring Darren Rafferty, Warren Barguil, Niklas Larsen, Martin Marcellusi, Johan Jacobs and Mattia Bais establishing itself after the race entered Italy following the opening three days in Bulgaria.

Once the race reached the Cozzo Tunno, however, Movistar took full control. Their tempo immediately changed the shape of the day. Dylan Groenewegen was distanced early, Jonathan Milan followed, Paul Magnier was also dropped, and Silva was soon in serious trouble as his spell in pink began to unravel.

By the summit, the front group had been reduced to around 40 riders. Movistar had done the damage and Aular had survived the selection, placing him among the clearest favourites for the finish in Cosenza.

“It’s a shame about these first three days, when I wasn’t feeling completely good,” Aular said. “But today, the truth is that I’m happy with the sensations. The Giro is very long and I hope to keep improving day by day, and that one day we can achieve that objective, which is to win a stage. And, well, congratulations to the team, because they did a great job.”

Movistar’s plan was complicated inside the final two kilometres, when Jan Christen attacked rather than waiting for the reduced sprint. The Swiss rider already had bonus seconds from the Red Bull sprint and briefly looked capable of stealing both the stage and the race lead.

That forced another chase before the sprint could properly form. Enric Mas and Matteo Sobrero were among those involved in bringing the move back, but the disruption appeared to blunt Movistar’s final set-up.

Aular acknowledged that Christen’s attack unsettled the team at a crucial point. “Yes, the truth is that it did, because the team became a little disorganised there,” he said. “But the team pushed, and I was able to take that last corner in second position. I thought I was one of the strongest. In the end, I launched my sprint, but it became very long for me.”

Narvaez came through on the other side of the road to take the stage, completing a dramatic response from UAE after their brutal Stage 2 crash losses. Giulio Ciccone finished second and moved into the maglia rosa, while Aular was left with proof of form, but not the victory Movistar’s performance had threatened to deliver.