Bernal fears consequences of second Grand Tour in one year: "Doubts are rising about how long I can keep up"

The leader of INEOS Grenadiers is satisfied with his first week, in which he recorded three top 10 finishes. “So far, I think it's going well,” Bernal told Marca. “Everything is calm. Like all races now, it's super tough. However, that's not all; it's going very well. I'm happy with how it's going, even though this start was really tough.” After the ninth stage, he is eleventh in the GC, 2.55 minutes behind leader Torstein Traeen and just over 2 minutes behind Jonas Vingegaard.

Bernal finished seventh in the Giro d'Italia. That was a huge boost. “It gave me a bit of confidence because I was usually with the favorites. I think I needed to take another step forward. We'll see if I've done that between the Giro and the Vuelta. To be honest, I did feel a change after another three-week race, in which I pushed my body to the limit. That gave me a little boost. We'll see if I can really show that here.”

Bernal is optimistic that he can compete with the very best when it really matters. In the stage before the rest day, however, he had to let Vingegaard, Tom Pidcock, João Almeida, and Felix Gall go. That brings some doubts. “The team is enthusiastic, the family is enthusiastic. Sometimes I see myself, like yesterday, back in front, and I get excited. However, the race remains very challenging. We went at a super fast pace all day, and there are doubts about how long I can keep up.

After years of having to get back to his previous level following his terrible crash in training, Bernal is still getting used to competing for victories. It feels strange not to see so many people in front of me. Then I ask myself, ‘What am I doing here?’ I'm happy to be back at the front after so much effort. There is still a lot to do; I want to ride a strong Vuelta and show my family and those who have been with me that the effort was worthwhile. That would make me very happy.

An overall victory will be tough, given Vingegaard's level of performance. “I think I need to take another step forward to be able to compete in a Grand Tour. But I find it encouraging to see myself at the top. Winning the three Grand Tours will always be a dream. I would love to win this race, but I am satisfied with what I have done in the past.”