Egan Bernal on Giro goals, teaming up with Arensman, and the meaning behind his new kit

Let's first briefly summarize what the 28-year-old Colombian has been through. In a collision with a bus in Colombia in early 2022, he broke eleven ribs, his femur, kneecap, two thoracic vertebrae, cervical vertebra, a metacarpal bone, and his thumb. In addition, both his lungs were punctured, and he lost several teeth. "I almost committed suicide, but you know what? I am grateful to God for guiding me through this ordeal," was Bernal's first message after the accident.

Less than eight months later, he was back at the start of his first race in the Tour of Denmark, knowing that the road to the top would be long. The 2019 Tour winner continued to work on his strengths in smaller races, grand tours, and during the winter, while the rest of the GC contenders—led by Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar—raised the bar even higher.

Last year, we saw glimpses of the real Egan again, with good results in O Gran Camino, Paris-Nice, the Tour of Catalonia, the Tour de Romandie, and the Tour de Suisse. However, he suffered another setback, with a COVID-19 infection in the Tour, surgery for a hernia in the fall, and a broken collarbone in February. This came just one week after he became Colombian champion in both the road race and time trial.

Barely five weeks after that crash, he returned with a seventh place in the Tour of Catalonia, but we didn't see Bernal again until he appeared in Albania. "The season hasn't been smooth sailing due to that collarbone fracture after my crash in the Clásica Jaén. But we immediately devised a good recovery plan, and I got back on my bike quickly. After a great training block, I feel very strong for the Giro."

"After the Tour of Catalonia, I returned to Colombia. I live in Bogota, and my house is 2,600 meters above sea level, enough to train well. So, I had the opportunity to train effectively, and the team supported me perfectly. Then I returned to Europe," said Bernal, who completed some of his brutal Apocalipsis training sessions in South America and impressed everyone in southern France with some interval times on popular climbs.

Bernal, who made a very calm and humble impression in Tirana, is, first and foremost, enjoying being a cyclist again. A good one, that is. Good enough to compete for victory in this Giro? "That's a good question. I don't know. I'm still preparing myself to win a grand tour. Every morning, I get up believing that I can do it and that I have to give it my all. Whether I succeed or not, we don't know. But it's my hope, and I fight for it every day. Most importantly, I'm enjoying cycling more than ever."

That seems to apply to the entire INEOS Grenadiers team this season. "We have a very balanced team, with guys who can support me and Thymen Arensman in the mountains and others who can chase success themselves. We are hungry," said the Colombian, who also elaborated on his relationship with Arensman. "Thymen is a super good rider, and he has already shown how strong he is. He has a bright future ahead of him, but I also expect a lot from him in this Giro. We will go for a good GC together and want to seize any opportunities that come our way. However, there are still some strong contenders, so how we achieve that remains to be seen."

One last thing: Bernal suddenly showed up at the team presentation on Wednesday wearing a new Colombian champion's jersey. What's the idea behind that? "It's a new design that we really wanted to use. In the past, we had a cycling team called Cafe de Colombia in the 80s and 90s. It was the first team from Colombia. They also won – with Luis Herrera and Fabio Parra, among others – in grand tours, so I still remember how they inspired me to become a professional cyclist. I also want to inspire the next generation, so I feel a great responsibility to wear this kit. But I'll do my best to live up to it," Bernal concludes.