Bernal not sure yet if he will ride Tour de France: "I want to be there, but not at any cost"

In the world of top sports, there are often bitter pills to swallow. In the case of Egan Bernal, we're talking about a gigantic pill because the Colombian INEOS Grenadiers rider hasn't had luck on his side since 2022. After a massive crash, a long rehabilitation and then several more setbacks, Bernal hopes that the sun will finally shine again, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

At the beginning of 2022, Bernal was in sterling shape. He had won the Giro d'Italia in 2021, adding a second Grand Tour victory to his resume after the 2019 Tour de France. After a solid Vuelta a España (Bernal finished sixth), he was focused entirely on the Tour de France in 2022. However, even before the season began, the year was already over for Bernal. He collided with a stationary bus while riding a time trial bike in Colombia, breaking just about everything there is to break in a human body.

The now 26-year-old Bernal underwent months of recovery and against everyone's expectations made his return in August of last year. He participated in several races but understandably not at the level we were accustomed to seeing from him. During the past winter break, he went balls to the wall in training to start 2023 in top form. In the Vuelta a San Juan, he showed glimpses of the old Bernal, but a crash on the first day of the race caused physical discomfort and he had to give up. After a nasty knee injury, he returned to the Tour of Catalonia but crashed again on the sixth day and once again had to give up.

He completed the Tour of the Basque Country at half capacity before showing improvement in the Tour of Romandie, finishing eighth. In the Tour of Hungary, he wanted to take the next step but suffered another severe crash. Miraculously, Bernal still managed to finish eighth in the overall classification. After Hungary, he entered a training period where he fine-tuned his time trial skills in the wind tunnel in Milan. The focus then shifted from the INEOS camp in Monaco to the Critérium du Dauphiné. "There, I hope to get a better idea of where I stand, the great unknown," is how the climber describes it.

Bernal not yet sure if he will ride Tour de France

In principle, Bernal will ride the Tour de France in July, with teammates Daniel Felipe Martínez, Carlos Rodriguez and Tom Pidcock by his side. However, no one truly knows how well he will perform in the Tour, not even Bernal himself. "I want to return to my best level, but it won't be easy. I have to keep working hard and be prepared for the unexpected. Ultimately, you always have to aim for the sun. There can always be setbacks and I have had my share. But my body is responding well and it wants to bring back the Bernal of the past. I'm confident it will happen."

As he often does, Bernal refers to God, believing that he has been given a second chance. He wants to make full use of it, especially in a time when he must compete against a generation that includes Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and others. "I don't think about that. I focus on myself. I work so hard because I want to be the best version of myself. Thinking about others is unhealthy. I would love to ride the Tour - everyone wants to do ride race. But I have to be a hundred percent certain because if you're not sure that you're at your best, it's the worst race to compete in the peloton. I want to be there, but not at any cost. I'm currently focused on the Dauphiné and then we'll make a decision."