WAM
03 Feb 2025, 21:21 GMT+10
QUITO, 3rd February, 2025 (WAM) -- A week on from his Santos Tour Down Under success for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Jhonatan Narvaez won a three-up sprint on Sunday afternoon to retain his Ecuadorian national road race championship.
Pipping Jefferson Alexander Cepeda and Mateo Pablo Ramirez to the line in Cotacachi, the 27-year-old managed to take his third career national title.
Racing in UAE Team Emirates-XRG trade kit for the first time, Narvaez was keen to leave his mark on the 170km-long course and retain his yellow, blue and red national champion's jersey. As such, the recently-crowned 'King of Willunga Hill' continued in his aggressive style from Australia. Whittling down the day's field to an elite composition of three, Narvaez worked well with fellow WorldTour-pro Cepeda and the young Ramirez as the final kilometres came into sight.
Well over four hours on from the flag drop, the leading trio approached the historic city of the Imbabura Province, aware that a sprint would likely decide the 2025 champion. In turn, Narvaez positioned himself smartly approaching the final right-hand bend, at which point the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider unleashed his sprint and would not be passed before the line.
Punching the air as he claimed the win, Narvaez knew that the long journey back home to Ecuador had been well worth it. With another fine performance, the rider from El Playon de San Francisco has sealed his third national title and will now return to Europe resplendent in his yellow, blue and red national champion's jersey.
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