When UAE Team Emirates-XRG were left with five riders lying on the ground of stage 2 of this year’s Giro d’Italia, it looked as though they may play a relatively absent role compared to the all-conquering machine we’ve seen operate as cycling’s top team in recent memory. But even with their three top climbers abandoning the race after that dark day in Bulgaria, they sat as the team with the most stage wins after eight days of racing, capturing half of the stages on offer since they were reduced to just five riders.
Jhonathan Narváez added his second and the team’s third win on Saturday after a full-gas day over the Muri in Le Marche on stage 8 of the Giro, with UAE putting on another masterclass from the breakaway to continue saving their race. Igor Arrieta was responsible for their other victory, after his rollercoaster day out to Potenza.
Even without Tadej Pogačar, Isaac del Toro, or João Almeida – their top three riders – UAE’s depth has still left them in a position to dominate Grand Tour stages, despite how hindered they should have been by that mass crash in the rain.
Their tally of 97 wins coming from 20 different riders in 2025 highlights exactly why that is, but it really has been about having a never-say-die attitude for the likes of Narváez, who has proved one of the top signings in cycling since he left Ineos for UAE.
Narváez only found himself up the road after a brutal, two-hour fight for the break heading out of Chieti and the Abruzzo region, with teammate Mikkel Bjerg doing the lion’s share of the work to get away, and Uno-X’s Andreas Leknessund joining them for the ride.
Baldato was naturally full of praise for Bjerg, who stayed with Narváez to guide him…
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