TURIN: Jhonatan Narvaez won the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia on Saturday to deny Tadej Pogacar who was making his debut in the three-week Grand Tour.

Ecuadorian Ineos rider Narvaez charged to victory in the final metres of an eventful 140-kilometre stage to Turin, pipping Max Schachmann and Pogacar to the line.

Pogacar was denied an eighth win in just 11 days of competitive racing this year as he began his bid to become the first man to win the Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998.

Slovenian Pogacar had looked good for the win when he made a burst from the peloton with just 3km to go but could not hold out and ended up crossing in third place.

Narvaez claimed the third major win of his career and his second Giro stage win after claiming one in the 2020 edition.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024