Team Emirates end season with record-breaking wins

Gulf Today, Sports Reporter

Finishing safely inside the peloton on an entertaining final stage, Jhonatan Narvaez sealed third overall in the Tour of Guangxi. The Ecuadorian national champion took to the final podium in Nanning at the end of the day, as UAE Team Emirates-XRG brought the curtain down on the final WorldTour race of the season.

With the Tour of Guangxi done and dusted, all that is left for the Emirati squad is the Chrono des Nations in France and the Veneto Classic in Italy on Sunday afternoon. By the week’s end, the 2025 racing season will come to an end, and Narvaez ensured that UAE Team Emirates-XRG enjoyed a fine finish in China.

The 28-year-old smartly snatched up bonus seconds throughout the week, before producing a valiant display on the race’s only summit finish on Saturday.

Not showing a moment of weakness as the action exploded on stage 6, Narvaez stayed in touch with his rivals and crossed the line within the peloton, as Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) picked up his fifth sprint victory of the race.

Narvaez’s teammate, Ivo Oliveira, positioned himself well and sprinted to fifth place across the line. Had it not been for the Emirati squad, perhaps Sunday’s stage would not have ended in a sprint at all.

On the final climb of the day, Victor Lafay of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale made a solo attack and at one point, had a gap of around 20 seconds to those chasing behind.

The Frenchman had begun the stage in second overall, just 15 seconds down on the eventual overall winner, Paul Double (Jayco AlUla). As such, his move was a threatening one.

Intent on pursuing the stage win, UAE Team Emirates-XRG rallied the chasing group behind and, with the help of both Jan Christen and Igor Arrieta on the front, managed to catch Lafay with 12km to go.

Had it not been for the quick response of the Emirati outfit, perhaps Lafay would have ridden away with the stage and overall victory.

Once the Frenchman had been caught, Oliveira surfed the wheels in style and put his nose to the wind with a few hundred metres to go.

It was not to be for the Portuguese national champion, but he ends his best season to date with the national title, and three further wins for UAE Team Emirates-XRG across the season.

As for Narvaez, the Ecuadorian took to the final podium at the end of the day in Nanning, and can celebrate a job well done in his debut season with the team.

Signed from Ineos Grenadiers last winter, Narvaez hit the ground running with the overall win of the first WorldTour race of the year, the Santos Tour Down Under.

Despite some misfortune through the spring, the Ecuadorian national champion bounced back in style at the Tour de France to prove a vital part of Tadej Pogacar’s title defence.

Delivering the best performances of his career in the mountains, Narvaez provided integral support and even rode himself to 13th in the general classification come Paris.