Jhonatan Narváez was one of the very few to deny Tadej Pogačar in 2024, and now he’s poised to become Pogi’s most deadly policeman.
Debuting this week for UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the Tour Down Under, the Ecuadorian bruiser will be at Pogačar’s side through the filth of Tour of Flanders and the super-team showdown of the Tour de France.
The Emirati mega-team – and most of the cycling world – expects big things from the abrasive all-rounder.
“I feel I took big steps at Ineos but I think I still have margin to take another step in the coming years,” Narváez said.
“I feel like I still haven’t reached my full maturity as a rider. Now I hope to keep progressing and improve both as a classics rider and as an all-rounder.”
Narváez turned a lot of heads for Ineos Grenadiers when he outsprinted Pogačar and denied cycling’s superstar the opening pink jersey of the Giro d’Italia.
The 27-year-old’s notoriously professional ethic leaves him likely to catch a lot more attention while he protects Pogačar’s flanks at UAE Team Emirates.
“Ineos Grenadiers they had a certain way of doing things. I learned to be disciplined as both a rider and as a person,” Narváez said this week. “This pattern has followed me throughout my career and made me the rider I am now.
“When I joined Quick-Step, they were the best classics team of their generation. When I joined Team Sky, it was a time when they had Chris Froome and Egan Bernal,” Narváez said in a team note.
“It has always been my way to watch these guys and learn the positive traits that can make me a more professional rider.”
Pogačar’s policeman, from Flanders to France
Narváez’s move from Ineos Grenadiers this winter didn’t get the hype of Ben O’Connor to Jayco-AlUla or Simon Yates to Visma-Lease a Bike.
But it could prove just as crucial to the 2025 calendar.
Only aggro-attacker Narváez and Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard had the savvy and strength to claim a one-on-win win against Pogačar in 2024.
Before that, Narváez had bullied countless breakaways and built a stealthily solid collection of top results through the world’s grittiest races.
He went on to become the center of a South American imbroglio when Ecuadorian national selectors tipped their new favorite Pogi-slayer ahead of defending Richard Carapaz for the Paris Olympic Games.
“Of course, it was the best victory of my career,” Narváez said of his palmarès-topping Giro win. “To beat Tadej and take the maglia rosa that day was really amazing for both me and my career.”
Ecuador on top of Il Giro. Jhonatan Narvaez won before a stage in Il Giro but I didn’t expect him to be so strong today, it’s crazy that he was able to follow Pogacar uphill. #Giro pic.twitter.com/LB6lM3XV6k
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) May 4, 2024
Narváez and Pogacar will only trade training sprints in 2025.
UAE Emirates-XRG has so much faith in its new recruit it’s tipped Narváez to be Pogačar’s wingman through the first half of the season.
The Ecuadorian will bring his classics smarts to Pogačar’s quest to unlock Milan-San Remo and go for two at Tour of Flanders.
And after that, Narváez is already slated to join Pogačar’s climber armada at the Tour de France for a royal rumble against the insanely strong Visma-Lease a Bike selection.
Stepping away from superdomestique: ‘I’ll be ready to take my chance’
Narváez won’t always be playing policeman for Pogačar through his two-year contract. He also squeezes into UAE Emirates’ deep bench of potential one-day and stage race winners.
“If you think about a guy like me, with my characteristics, it is a positive and a negative because many races in the calendar suit me,” he said. “Racing as a favorite is so hard, but I will try to achieve many victories throughout the year.”
Narvaez saw his chances from day one at UAE Emirates.
After finishing second overall at the Santos Tour Down Under in 2024, he was handed co-leadership for the WorldTour opener alongside home favorite Jay Vine.
The world No .1 team also handed debuts to Rune Herregodts, Julius Johansen, and teen super-talent Pablo Torres when the race rolled out of downtown Prospect for stage 1 on Tuesday.
A new racing season begins in Australia. Here’s our lineup for the #TourDownUnder : @RuneHerregodts #JuliusJohansen @NarvaezJho @roliveira57 @solermarc93 #PabloTorres @JayVine3 #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/pkAm28RHBJ
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) January 11, 2025
And while former race-winner Vine is hot favorite for the GC win this week, Narváez won’t need a second invitation if he falters.
“It has been a long time since that victory in the Giro, so now I have new goals and new objectives with the team,” Narváez said.
“It is going to be my first race with the team. I am trying new equipment, a new bike, new glasses, and more. But I know I have been training well, I know we have a good team and we must play our cards,” he said.
“I am really hoping to support Jay, as this route really suits him as a favorite. If the road presents us with an opportunity for me, I’ll be ready to take my chance.”
A tough hilly stage Wednesday could see Narváez getting that opportunity sooner than he might have expected.