Narváez Wins Giro Stage 4, Ciccone Takes Lead

Ecuador's Jhonatan Narváez won the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday, sprinting to victory ahead of a reduced peloton in Cosenza, Italy, while Giulio Ciccone of Italy seized the overall lead with third place on the day.

The 138-kilometer stage from Catanzaro featured a decisive 14-kilometer category-two climb to Cozzo Tunno midway through the route. Movistar set a punishing pace on the ascent with gradients up to 11 percent, dropping all pure sprinters including Arnaud De Lie, Kaden Groves, Dylan Groenewegen, Jonathan Milan and Paul Magnier. Previous race leader Guillermo Thomas Silva of Uruguay cracked early on the climb and finished more than 12 minutes behind, relinquishing the maglia rosa he had held since stage two.

Narváez, riding for UAE Team Emirates, outkicked Orluis Aular of Movistar for the win, with Ciccone of Lidl-Trek third. UAE teammate Jan Christen launched a late attack in the final two kilometers, which was reeled in, but he earned bonus seconds at the Red Bull Kilometer and moved into second overall, four seconds behind Ciccone. Christen also claimed the maglia bianca as best young rider.

The victory provided relief for UAE Team Emirates, which lost...