Narvaéz hits the ground running at the Tour Down Under

Ecuadorian betters his second place last year in his debut for UAE Team Emirates

- 

They were the top ranked WorldTour team with a total 1 of 81 race victories, 40 of which were at WT level. Tadej Pogačar was of course the main protagonist, but the Italian-based team also delivered wins courtesy of Adam Yates, Juan Ayuso, Marc Hirschi and others.

Now you can add Jhonatan Narvaéz to the list. The Ecuadorian joined UAE from Ineos Grenadiers over the winter and started winning immediately, suggesting that once again UAE will be the team to beat.

After finishing second at the Tour Down Under last year, just nine seconds behind Stevie Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), it was Narvaéz's turn to put his stamp on January, and win his first race in new colours. This time, the Ecuadorian won by nine seconds.

The victory was built, as it so often is, on the slopes of Willunga Hill, south of Adelaide. It was here on stage five that the 27-year-old beat all to the line, including last year's king of the hill Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL). Narvaéz is made for a race like the Tour Down Under, where GC challenges are built on modest climbs, and when bonus seconds are on offer.