Enric Mas may have paid price for being a 'nice guy' as Jhonatan Narvaez wins Stage 11 of Giro d'Italia

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Enric Mas paid the price for being a "nice guy", according to Matt Stevens, as Jhonatan Narvaez outsprinted him to win stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia.

Did Mas pay the price for being 'nice guy' in sprint finish with Narvaez?

Video credit: TNT Sports

Narvaez claimed his third victory of this year's Giro d’Italia - which is live on TNT Sports and HBO Max - and a fourth triumph for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Narvaez saw off Movistar man Naz in a dramatic finish, adding to his previous successes of last week, on Stage 4 and Stage 8 of the race.

Speaking in the TNT Sports studio after the 11th stage on Wednesday, Stevens said: "He's a nice guy, he just played the nice guy."

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Stevens was given short shrift for that view by his fellow TNT Sports panellists.

Adam Blythe said: "You can be a nice guy and still shut the door. Boxed him in. I would have done."

And Robbie McEwen was just as forthright when talking over replays of the finish.

"He [Mas] gets in front, he could just edge across just very slightly softly towards the left. His only hope is to try and get the jump and get him boxed," McEwen said.

Narvaez betters Mas in two-way sprint finish to clinch stage hat-trick

Video credit: TNT Sports

"Shaun said clean sprinters don't do that. Well, successful ones do. That's my response. It's called professionally shutting the door.

"But it's such a fine line, from actually doing it a little bit too much and getting yourself disqualified.

"But if you're not going to win in a head to head sprint, then you might as well risk going right to the edge of that line and seeing where you come out."

Reacting to his victory, Narvaez said: "He [Mas] is stronger than me on the climbs. But I always remember a book I was reading, which said, if you don't have your game, just make your own game.

"You won't see Michael Phelps running - he's a specialist in the pool. And I just tried to defend myself in the uphills."

Gianetti lauds Narvaez as 'example of resilience' amid inspired Giro form

Video credit: TNT Sports

Narvaez hailed as 'genius' after stage win

Narvaez was called a "genius" and "the complete package" by Blythe after his latest stage win.

Blyth said: "It is genius. In a breakaway, you have to ride your game completely.

"Everyone within cycling has what they're good, what they're bad at, and you've got to use the other riders for what they're good at to your advantage. And that's exactly what Narvaez did today.

"Not only in that last climb, but all the way through it. On the descent, on the flat, on the corners, every little bit of how he can ride, he has it down to a tee. He doesn't do more work than he needs to, he'll close gaps when he needs to.

'He doesn't wait around for anyone to do the job for him, but he'll get other people to make his life easier without them knowing it.

"That is a skill and a half to do that and to be successful. He's the complete package."

Stevens also seemed lost in admiration for Narvaez as he added: "He never got impatient. Composure, all the time.

"He never reacted, never bit. He kept a cool head and was just thinking his way through, just playing his own game and doing it perfectly.

"It was something to see. This is the form of his life and it's a pleasure to see it."

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