Narvaez strikes again with solo victory in gruelling Giro stage eight

CHIETI, Italy, May 16 : Ecuador's Jhonatan Narvaez claimed his second stage victory of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday, delivering a masterful solo performance to win stage eight after a gruelling finale.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider outlasted Andreas Leknessund in a tense pursuit up the final climbs, crossing the line 32 seconds ahead of the Norwegian. 

Leknessund mounted a determined chase in an effort to stay in contact with Narvaez up the punishing final ascent but was unable to bridge the gap and crossed the line in second place.

After the race, Narvaez paid tribute to teammate Mikkel Bjerg, thanking the Dane for driving the breakaway to set up a decisive attack on the penultimate climb where the Ecuadorean distanced Leknessund, with Bjerg crossing the line 16th.

"It was a nice stage for me. I think we played well, with my teammate. He was the man of the day, Mikkel Bjerg and always working for the team," Narvaez said.

"In the end it was about the legs. The first part, the full headwind, on the flat, was really hard. But we never gave up. With 60k to go we rode well, we rode smart and we had the opportunity to go for the stage."

Following Friday's brutal mountain finish on the Blockhaus, in which Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard secured an emphatic victory, the riders moved to the Adriatic coast before tackling a punishing uphill finish in the Marche region town of Fermo.

Norway’s Martin Tjotta of Uno-X Mobility saw off the remaining chasers to secure third place, 10 seconds behind compatriot Leknessund.

"It was so hard to get the gap. Then we cooperated well, but Narvaez was stronger in the end, as expected. I cannot be disappointed. Second place was what I could do," Leknessund said.

Narvaez powered to victory in stage four on