Surprising plan INEOS only confirms Bernal is back in top form: "Didn't want to use Thymen at the front of that group"

All guns were blazing in the peloton with just over 50 kilometers to go. A short, bumpy section to Peneriva was followed by a tricky descent, immediately followed by the foot of the San Giovanni in Monte. It wasn't the most challenging climb at 5.0 kilometers at 6.6 percent, but INEOS put the team at the front. Ben Turner completely broke up the pack, and for a moment, it looked like we would get a fantastic finale. However, those who had been dropped came back, much to their surprise.

"It was a technical descent, followed immediately by the longer climb. We wanted to take control there and see what would happen," sports director Zak Dempster explained. "We were just missing a few guys at the front, so we only had Egan (Bernal, ed.) and Thymen left. Otherwise, we could have pushed on, but I didn't want to use Thymen at the front of that group. There were splits, but that's why we left the control to other teams."

Nevertheless, Arensman continued to ride at the front of the group on behalf of INEOS for quite some time, even after the GC contenders had rejoined the peloton. Dempster: "I told Thymen he could slow down, but he wanted to keep riding at his own pace and felt in control. When the other teams came back to the front, we dropped back and reset the race. But the riders feel best on the bike what they are comfortable with."

According to Dempster, the fact that Arensman finished 18 seconds behind winner Mads Pedersen was not necessarily related to the work on the climb. The Dutchman simply lacks the explosiveness that Bernal once again demonstrated. "Egan is a guy who has punch, especially now that the races are getting faster and everyone is more tired in the finals. That's to his advantage because Egan recovers quickly."

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It was another confirmation that Bernal is truly back. The Colombian rider also confirmed this briefly to this website. "The big difference is that I no longer have the hernia in my back, which I had surgery on last year after the Tour de France. That's why my preparation and training have been so different." Dempster: "In the past, he was always competitive on explosive finishes, although today's was perhaps just on the limit. Things are moving in the right direction."

That looks promising, as Bernal will really come into his own in the third week when we start climbing for real, and the punch is no longer a priority. Without back problems, the former Tour and Giro winner can really enjoy that. "I've had so much pain in my back all my life, I had to get up early every morning to do exercises. That's over now."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: b.vanderploeg@indeleiderstrui.nl)