Tour de France, Bernal among the eight of Ineos: “I almost died, but I’m back thanks to God”

Seems like a century ago Egan Bernal won the Tour de France. It was 2019 and at the dawn of the era of fabulous youngsters, the Colombian invented a great number on the Iseran to defeat the competition and become the first Colombian ever to bring the yellow jersey back home. Since then in Egan, an important past in Italy in theHallways by Gianni Savio, things didn’t all go smoothly. The success at the Giro d’Italia 2021 (what still remains his last success) was a joyful parenthesis in the midst of many injuries. The 2020 Tour abandoned due to back problems and above all the dramatic accident in Colombia in January 2022, when Bernal, in timed trim, hit the back of a bus, remedying multiple limb fractures and serious pulmonary consequences. Since then an ordeal of at least five surgeries in ten days to return to the Bernal of the past. He hasn’t succeeded yet, actually. But the call for the Tour de Francedecided by Ineos Grenadiers, appears as the greatest, possible attestation of esteem for the 26-year-old from Bogotà, 12th at the last Dauphiné. Who, on his team’s website, did not hide his happiness: “My return to the Tour has always been an important goal for me. I’m really excited to be able to experience every kilometer of this ride again. I’m sure many have followed everything that happened to me after my accident last January and the journey I went through to overcome the greatest test of my life. Being part of this year’s Tour team reassures me that I’m on my way to getting back to my best.” The Tour will start on Saturday 1st July from Bilbao.

The selection: there is also Pidcock

Bernal is listed on the ex-Sky roster for the Tour along with KwiatkowskiTurner, Fraile, Martinez, Pidcock, Rodríguez and Castroviejo. A formation full of talent, but without a real captain designated for the general classification. An unusual condition for a team accustomed over the years to having a solid plan right from the start, centered around a leader, a midfielder and a group of supporters. Bernal cannot claim a high ranking and has no goals: “This race is also an opportunity to show my gratitude and my commitment to the team that has always supported me, to thank all the people who have helped me, from nurses who have taken care of me in the hospital, to the doctors, to my friends, family, teammates”. His is more of a message of hope: “Above all, I want to take this opportunity to inspire people and show them that, even if all seems lost, we can trust in God. Be strong, because we have only one life and we must appreciate the second possibilities that are given to us and exploit every second”.