UAE turn the tide on INEOS - Giro stage winner set to renew with Tadej Pogacar's team

Jhonatan Narváez is a former rider for Netcompany INEOS and over the past few months, it had been understood that he was the British team's focal figure for the upcoming transfer season. However, it is now reported that the Ecuadorian might have agreed on a new deal with UAE Team Emirates - XRG.

The UAE rider seemed to, over the past few months, be very close to agreeing to join INEOS. Over this season he has had a different calendar however and will largely race apart from Tadej Pogacar, getting more opportunities of his own, which may have changed the tide on his choice.

Journalist Daniel Benson has reported that there might already be an agreement between Narváez and UAE, for a three-year extension within the team. This would maintain the quality for the Emirati team in the classics and one-week races, whilst allowing blocking the evolution of one of the teams that want to rival it.

Luck has not been on Narváez side this year, but when he has raced, he has always delivered. He began his season at the Tour Down Under where he worked together with Jay Vine to conquer the overall classification.

However his own personal ambitions were brought to the ground when he crashed on stage 4, suffering fractured vertebrae. He did not race throughout the entire spring, missing out on opportunities he would've been given.

However he returned to racing at the Giro d'Italia and has won no less than three stages throughout the race, effectively leading UAE and saving its race after a crash on stage 2 took out three of its riders.

He was also in the mix to win the Maglia Ciclamino but ultimately a crash on the final week also ended his race prematurely. However, it seems more likely than ever that he will continue to have opportunities to shine in the jersey of UAE.