As soon as the Giro d'Italia stage 1 finale diverted to the climb from the Po River to San Vito, Honatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) was taken beyond his numbers. There was no time to calculate as Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) began to run his repertoire. All he could do was back himself up and try to keep up with the Slovenians.

The already shrinking peloton was further split by Pogachar's attack 4km from the line, but Narvaez adapted to the arduous cadence better than anyone. Pogachar made three terrifying accelerations, but each time Narvaez absorbed the Rocky Marciano-like impact and managed to hold on as those behind him began to wobble precariously.

At the press conference following his stage win, Narvaez asked, "Did you check your power data when you withstood Pogachar's onslaught in Turin? He smiled and shook his head at the thought. Besides, the fire in his legs and lungs spoke to him more than any screen.

"No, I didn't get a chance to see Garmin. 'I just saw the people around me and his wheels. As you can imagine ...... I didn't get a chance to see Garmin, but I know he was at his limit."

Pogachar came into the Giro not only as a solid contender for the final victory in Rome, but also with the expectation that he would lead the race from start to finish like Gianni Bugno.

The few who dared to chase his acceleration in the opening months of the season were burned by the experience, but that did not stop Narvaez from trying to touch the flame.

"I analyzed this stage with the team a while ago," Narvaez said. 'We worked hard for this. It was crazy to keep up with the strongest players in the peloton."

"It was a great experience," he said.

I still followed Narvaez. He was strong enough to follow Pogachar on the uphill and smart enough to follow him all the way down the 3km to the line back to Turin. Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), who joined him on the descent, was the escaper who caught up and passed him on the climb.

Pogachar's instinct was to react to Schachmann immediately, but Narvaez had the patience to wait a little longer. 2nd place went to Schachmann, 3rd to Pogachar.

"I know he is the strongest in the world," Narvaez said of Pogachar. 'He did a lot on the climbs. He has done a lot on the climbs. When you have a player like this, you have to play your cards right."

"In the end, it was really difficult to stay on his wheels on the climb. It was hard from the top of the climb. He attacked three times and I followed him each time. The descent was flat out too, so I had to make it."

"In the sprint, I think Pogachar was too long. He went at the end of a really hard stage, with 200 meters to go. I did a shorter sprint and was able to win."

Four years ago, when Narvaez took his first Giro stage win at Cesenatico in October, his feat was effectively relegated to a footnote by the circumstances of the day. That same afternoon, EF education manager Jonathan Vaughters had called an early halt to the race due to a mass outbreak of COVID-19, and the soft-spoken Narvaez's solo victory was inevitably drowned out by the cacophony of Polemaicas that ensued. On Saturday, Narvaez, with Maglia Rosa on his back, at least shared the lead with Pogachar.

"There is no comparison between the two victories," Narvaez said Saturday. 'There is no comparison between these two victories. It was the first stage of the Giro on a perfect course for me and it was nice to beat a strong rider like Pogachar."

Since his victory at Cesenatico, Narvaez has quietly proven himself to be one of the stronger riders in the peloton. Having already won the Down Under Classic and the Ecuadorian title, the 27-year-old was even considered an outsider in the Tour de Flanders after he made headlines in the E3 Saxo Classic.

However, his promising Classic campaign came to an end two days later with a huge crash in Ghent-Wevelgem. Rather than dwell on the disappointment, Narvaez decided to train at El Playón de San Francisco, 3,000 meters above sea level on the Ecuador-Colombia border.

"I had great support from the team," he said. They sent me to Ecuador right away to do a high altitude camp with my family." It wasn't a good time for me in Belgium, but I'm enjoying it now."

Of course, it remains to be seen if Narvaez will enjoy Maglia Rosa for more than a day. On Sunday, the Giro will attempt its first summit finish in Oropa, but it seems impossible that Narvaez, a Playa de San Francisco native, will be able to hold off Pogachar, who is six seconds back in third place overall. It is more likely that he will be used to help leader Geraint Thomas, who returned safely from the chase group 10 seconds behind on Saturday.

"I know I have good legs, but I have to ask what the team wants from me tomorrow," Narvaez said. 'It's a hard climb, but we'll see what I can do.'

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