'His recovery is going well' - Egan Bernal making 'great progress' but Ineos Grenadiers unsure of training return date

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Published 18/02/2022 at 10:22 GMT

Egan Bernal suffered life-threatening injuries after a collision with a bus while training in Colombia. His Ineos Grenadiers team have said there is no definitive timeline for the two-time Grand Tour winner to return, but confirmed that Bernal is "making great progress". The 25-year-old posted a video of himself on a static bike and said "never let anyone tell you that you can't do something".

Egan Bernal is "making great progress" in his recovery from serious injuries, but it is too soon to provide a timeline on his return to cycling, his Ineos Grenadiers team have said.

Bernal reportedly suffered 20 different fractures in a life-threatening collision with a parked bus in his native Colombia while training in January.

The 25-year-old underwent multiple surgeries and significant medical treatment after the incident, and was discharged from hospital last week.

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He has been continuing his recovery at home, and the Grenadiers are pleased with the progress he is making.

"Egan is making great progress at home and working with a local rehab clinic where his recovery is going well," the team said in a medical update.

"At present our medical staff have not set a definitive timeline for when we should expect to see him back on his bike.

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"For the time being he will remain in Colombia until his progression has reached a satisfactory level for him to return to his European base."

The Colombian, a two-time Grand Tour winner, shared a video this week of him riding a static bike.

Underneath, he wrote: "Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.”

Bernal has stated since the crash that doctors had given him a 95% chance of becoming paraplegic, paying tribute to medical staff for giving him a "second chance".

The 25-year-old secured the maglia rosa at last year's Giro d'Italia to add a second Grand Tour triumph to his 2019 Tour de France win.

Before his injuries, Bernal had made clear his desire to return to the French summer showpiece for a potential battle with two-time reigning champion Tadej Pogacar and Vuelta a Espana winner Primoz Roglic.

Bernal was hampered by a back injury at the 2020 edition of the race as Pogacar stunned Roglic in the penultimate stage time-trial to take his first Grand Tour crown.

If the Colombian is ruled out of Tour de France contention, as seems likely after such significant injuries, fellow former winner Geraint Thomas could take on a greater role.

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The Welshman confirmed that he is sculpting his season in a bid to peak across the three weeks in France.

“I was planning on getting there in the best shape I could anyway,” Thomas told Cycling News when asked if Bernal's injury had impacted his preparations for the Tour.

“In the lead-up to that, I’m just going to race every race and look to try to get what I can out of it and look to enjoy the racing.

"In the past, it was maybe a bit more controlled and every race was more for the General Classification. Now I think it’s a bit more that sometimes I’ll go GC if I’m up there, and other times I’ll go for stages or help with lead-outs and all that kind of jazz.

"It’s like I keep on saying, just enjoying the race.”

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