COMMENTS. Jhonatan Narváez saw Tadej Pogacar make a mistake in the sprint, Cian Uijtdebroeks satisfied with the feeling: “I felt good, especially on the long climb”

READ ALSO. Then a surprise: Narváez beats Pogacar in a sprint and takes the first pink jersey in the Giro

In 2020 he already won a stage in the Giro from the early breakaway, but this stage victory was even more special. Beating Pogacar in a direct duel, there are few riders who can say that. “It was a great feeling,” Narváez says in the flash interview.” We knew this ride was for me so I worked hard towards it. To be able to follow the best rider in the world uphill was very tough. This is a special victory. Did it hurt to follow Pogacar? It still hurts! It was very hard, but in the end I was able to finish it. I think Pogacar started too early: after such a tough stage of two hundred meters, approaching the finish…”, he analyzed his stage victory.

And this is how it goes when you win the first stage in a Grand Tour: you also get the pink jersey: “That’s great. I was talking about it with a sports director on Friday: there are not many chances to win the leader’s jersey on the first day of a grand tour, because there may also be a bunch sprint or a time trial on the program. But today was a good opportunity for me,” he concluded.

Uijtdebroeks (14th) satisfied with performance

Cian Uijtdebroeks finished fourteenth, in the first chasing group with several other classification riders, ten seconds behind the leading trio. “The last climb was reasonable punchy“I think we rode some nice wattages today,” Uijtdebroeks laughs immediately after the ride. “UAE is very strong and they tackled the race hard today, but were unable to win. I think they would like to do that before some flatter rides come up. I think they will take control of the course again tomorrow. What am I planning tomorrow? Hold on as long as possible.”

He certainly survived the first ride well, and just as importantly: his legs were good. “My feeling was pretty good. The first day there is always a bit of a question mark about where you stand, but I felt good especially on the longer climb. That last climb is quite explosive and I was a bit too far and if you have to close gaps, you accumulate lactic acid. That was tough, but I had a good feeling. It does give confidence, but it is still a very long game. A lot can happen in three weeks.”