Colombian World Championship surprise Egan Bernal holds key advantage in dream to challenge Pogacar and co

Bernal came to the World Championships after the Vuelta a España, where he had to abandon his desired classification, but where he did win a stage. It was his first victory since the career-changing setback in early 2022, when he crashed into a stationary bus during training. In recent years, Bernal has slowly become more himself, with, for example, seventh place in the GC of the Giro d'Italia earlier this year.

Because he did not play a leading role in the Vuelta, others seem to be further ahead in the battle for the world title. But Bernal emphasized to FloBikes that he is secretly hoping for a surprise victory. “I'm really looking forward to it, I'm just looking at myself and how I can perform at my best. I'm not riding for second or third place; there are a lot of riders who can do really well.”

The most important element Bernal hopes to take advantage of in Rwanda is the altitude. The base altitude is already 1,500 meters, so many favorites have already complained about the reduced oxygen, excessive smog in the air, and lower wattage than normal. Can Bernal close the gap due to the conditions and really compete with the world-class riders again?

The Colombian comes from Zipaquirá, a city at an altitude of 2,600 meters. Bernal will not cycle any slower when the air becomes thinner. “I feel good at altitude and think I can do well. There is a lot of climbing at altitude, although I don't know exactly how big an impact the altitude will have. We'll see if it affects the riders who live at sea level.”

In addition to Bernal, many other riders are accustomed to high altitudes. Think of Richard Carapaz from Ecuador, Isaac Del Toro from Mexico (although he resides in San Marino), and, in addition to Bernal, Colombia also has riders such as Harold Tejada and his good friend Brandon Rivera from INEOS. "We have a great team, we're going to enjoy it, and we want to do something amazing."