Ineos Grenadiers have opened the door to Egan Bernal competing on this summer time’s Tour de France, after the race’s former winner recorded his greatest end result but since his life-threatening accident two years in the past.
Colombian Bernal completed third on the Volta a Catalunya on Sunday, the primary time he has climbed onto the rostrum of a WorldTour race since he crashed into the again of a bus in January 2022 in his native Colombia. His accident left him with a lot of damaged bones, together with a fractured proper femur, and medical doctors initially mentioned he had a 95% probability of dying or being paralysed.
Remarkably, Bernal returned to racing simply eight months later, and accomplished each the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in 2023. At the beginning of this season, he has made a good better step up in outcomes, ending within the prime seven of the 4 stage races he has competed in.
No efficiency, nonetheless, has been as notable as his experience to second place on stage six of Catalunya, which pushed him up third general, a place he maintained throughout the remaining stage in Barcelona. He completed 5 minutes and three seconds behind general race winner Tadej Pogačar.
Requested if that is the perfect model of himself because the crash, the 2021 Giro d’Italia winner mentioned: “It’s tough to say however now we are able to say that a few of my numbers are the identical or higher than earlier than my crash, however they’re not ample sufficient to win. Each day, and yearly, I’m enhancing, and my energy is getting stronger.”
Ineos Grenadiers sports activities director Zak Dempster mentioned that Bernal’s performances within the first few months of the season are a sign that he can return to his earlier ranges. “This can be a man who has gained the Tour and the Giro, and in the event you return to the Egan of earlier than, going for a podium within the Volta a Catalunya was a standard factor,” he mentioned.
“However he had a critical accident. There was lots of physio, rehab, and it’s difficult getting again to race at this degree. To be producing a efficiency like that is encouraging. He’s getting higher and higher.
“To talk frankly, he deserves to be with the perfect within the sport. He’s received the expertise, the work ethic, and he’s an instance for all riders. We’re additional away from the accident every single day, and now he is in a spot the place he’s contending for a WorldTour podium. He deserves it and it’s the place he ought to be.
“He can’t skip any steps and he’s gone about all of it in a humble approach. He’s proud of the place he’s at, and he’s attaining his goal going into the race for a spot on the rostrum. However his ambition is much more than third within the Volta a Catalunya.”
Solely three WorldTour riders have raced extra in 2024 than Bernal, and his subsequent race is predicted to be the Tour de Romandie on the finish of April. Is it now possible that he can get again to successful top-tier occasions this season?
“When it comes to placing a definitive aim on it, you hope every part is feasible,” Dempster mentioned. “I’m fairly positive he’ll get again to a really, very excessive degree and be as aggressive as he’s in the present day. He’s getting higher and we are able to begin to change into extra formidable I’m positive.”
It was initially deliberate that Bernal’s solely GrandTour this season could be the Vuelta, however the Tour has now emerged as a real chance. “We have now to sit down down and take inventory, to resolve as a efficiency staff what precisely is the perfect plan for him,” Dempster mentioned.
“He’s a essential man for us so we have to have a superb dialog about what’s the greatest plan to have him aggressive for us within the largest races. So we’ll see after this race. Who is aware of [if he’ll go to the Tour]. We’ll need to see. Every thing is feasible.”
Bernal equally refused to rule out competing within the Tour, telling the Spanish press that it “depends upon how I’m going. I’m approaching this season with motivation to proceed to work. I can do good coaching and it’s permitting me to enhance.”
