According to UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Narváez's power explosion in Australia is just the beginning: "A super talent"

Jhonatan Narváez took control of the Tour Down Under on the ever-decisive day over Willunga Hill. The Ecuadorian rider delivered a double success for his new team, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, securing both the stage win and the leader's jersey. With only a flat stage remaining on day six, it's unlikely that he will lose it.

The fact that Narváez had strong legs was already evident earlier this week in Australia, as he competed in the sprint stages. He finished second on day three and third on day four before finally claiming victory on day five. The 27-year-old puncher launched a sprint in the final 200 meters of Willunga Hill, dropping the also strong Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL) and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) to take the win and bonus seconds.

"We planned to win the race with Jay or with me," Narváez said after the race, referring to his teammate Jay Vine. The Australian, however, crashed earlier in the week and couldn't deliver on Saturday, finishing thirteenth. "I was feeling well every day and obviously Jay had a crash yesterday, so it was the plan for me to go for the win today and I am so glad we did it."

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Narváez in the Tour Down Under's orange leader's jersey

UAE Team Emirates-XRG hopes for confidence boost for Narváez

Despite his explosive characteristics, Narváez isn’t necessarily known for being a prolific winner in the very biggest races. While his two stage victories in the Giro d’Italia were impressive, this double success in the Tour Down Under marks only his third win at the WorldTour level. "With Jhony, we know he just needs to be confident in himself," said UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports director Fabio Baldato in a press release. "He is a super talent who is super strong, but sometimes he just needs a push to believe in himself more."

That confidence boost was clearly evident on day five in Australia. "It was fantastic, absolutely," Baldato said. "We hoped, we prepared and we went close on stages 3 and 4 – now finally, Jhony did a fantastic job on Willunga. The whole team were amazing from the start. We have already been here with the guys for two weeks. It is the kind of victory which gives you even more satisfaction. I hope this gives him a boost to be absolutely sure of his potential. He is such a powerful and professional guy, he really deserves this."

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Can Narváez secure overall win and points classification in Tour Down Under's short final stage?

One last hurdle remains for Narváez on his way to overall victory in the Tour Down Under: day six. On paper, it’s a flat stage, but the South American is taking nothing for granted. "I think we managed it really well today because INEOS made the crosswinds but in the end, we came back and I survived the climb to do the sprint. In this race, I think this gap (nine seconds, ed.) is a lot and we will try to manage it tomorrow. It is a short stage and it will be fast and hot, but we have a good strong team to manage it."

Narváez starts the final day with a nine-second lead over Javier Romo of Movistar, who was dethroned as the GC race leader on Saturday. Fisher-Black is in third place, 12 seconds behind, followed by Onley at 15 seconds in fourth, and Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) in fifth at 24 seconds. If Narváez finishes ahead of Sam Welsford on Sunday, he will also secure the green points jersey. Both riders currently have 60 points heading into the final stage.

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