Crash, altitude, Bjerg and killer instinct: Giro phenomenon Narváez does what Jan Christen still can’t

UAE Team Emirates‑XRG has lost three key riders in three days during the Giro d’Italia, yet the team of five is still the most successful squad in the race. In stage 11, Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez took his third win of the 2026 Giro, bringing his total to four victories already this edition, and after the stage his team boss Fabio Baldato tried to explain to IDL ProCycling just how the 29‑year‑old has been riding at such a high level.

Narváez’s explosive form is no secret—he has been a winner for years. After moving from Quick‑Step to INEOS early in his career, he began claiming victories from breakaways as far back as 2020, and he also worked hard for his leaders in the years that followed. His path has included setbacks too, including a broken hand and broken shin earlier in his career.

After the 2024 season, in which he scored a Giro stage win, Narváez signed with UAE Emirates‑XRG. In two seasons with the Emirati outfit, he has nearly doubled his list of results. What began in 2025 with success in the Tour Down Under and later in this Giro has now snowballed: after eleven days of racing Narváez’s tally stands at three victories.

Narváez’s current form is especially impressive considering that in January, during the Tour Down Under, he suffered a heavy crash that resulted in multiple fractures to his vertebrae. Those were described as stable breaks, but the injury kept Narváez off the bike for significant weeks of training. Team management and coaches focused his build‑up entirely on being ready for the Giro, including altitude training back in Ecuador.

“We always believed Jhonny could be this good—his testing and data showed it,” Baldato said. “He came here better than last year, even with limited racing before the Giro.”

Despite missing around six weeks of cycling after the crash, Narváez reached Europe just ten days before the Giro began and immediately showed great legs. It’s those legs, combined with his resilience and mentality, that have brought multiple stage wins and put him close to the points classification leaderboard, just 19 points shy of the purple jersey.

“He hasn’t raced for three months,” Baldato emphasized. “Partly because his injury was serious and the recovery took a long time. He didn’t ride for six weeks, whereas normally it would be four. We briefly considered bringing him to Europe earlier to do one more race before the Giro. But after consulting with the staff, we decided to let him focus entirely on the Giro.”

Narváez spent only ten days in Europe with the planned Giro team; most of the training was done at altitude in Ecuador. It resulted in incredible form, and the three stage wins might not even be the end of it. Thanks to those victories, Narváez is now just 19 points away from the purple points jersey. ‘Today we were only thinking about the stage, but now we can also think about purple.’

Still, despite his incredible legs, Narváez wouldn’t have been in this position without his teammates, Baldato emphasized. The Italian also saw in Stage 11 that the new team leader was saved by the team. “Paul Magnier’s team (Soudal Quick-Step, ed.) rode the first phase of the race very hard, with the intermediate sprint for the purple jersey in mind.”

This resulted in a large and dangerous breakaway group, which was controlled by UAE. “As a team, we rode hard for Jhonatan with Mikkel Bjerg and Antonio Morgado. They closed the gap, allowing Jhonny to go. We’re only five riders, so it wasn’t easy to catch up. However, Bjerg once again ensured today that victory remained a possibility.”

The Danish sprinter was already in a breakaway with Narváez on day eight, and when the two were left, Bjerg launched his leader. So in stage 11, he kept the breakaway small. ‘I think Jhonny will do something for Mikkel; they’ll probably share a bottle of Barolo tomorrow (Thursday, ed.) in Piedmont.’

UAE is in a comfortable position; that much is clear. When asked about Narváez’s role in that success, Baldato looked beyond just the stage wins. ‘He cracks a lot of jokes, though he also wants everyone to be organized and focused. He teaches the young guys how to behave. If things get messy on the bus, he’ll call them out on it. To us, he’s a great guy, with his spirit and experience.’

“He never acts like the boss, but really creates a team spirit. Winning so much only helps with that,” he continued. Gianetti praised the entire team: "It’s amazing what the guys are doing. After the crash involving our three riders in Bulgaria, they didn’t give up. They no longer had to work for a team leader and are now getting chances to make a difference.‘

The only one still waiting a bit for Giro success is Jan Christen. The young Swiss rider has tried many times, but: 'He lacks a bit of the killer instinct that Jhonny has,’ said Baldato. ‘We’d also love to see Jan up front. He’s young, and hopefully, by racing with Jhonatan, he’ll learn how to do it. As a joke, Jhonny told Jan on the bus this morning that he had to follow him if he wanted to be part of the breakaway. It was just a bit of fun, but it turned out to be true.’

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])