Vuelta a Espana cycling – Egan Bernal: I don't know if I can win second Grand Tour title this season

Published 20/06/2021 at 16:46 GMT

Colombian 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal hopes one day to win the Vuelta a Espana as well as the Giro d'Italia, but does not believe he is ready to add to his Grand Tour collection this season. Bernal will not be part of Ineos Grenadiers’ squad to take part in the 2021 Tour, so is focusing elsewhere.

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Egan Bernal does not believe he has a chance to win this year’s Vuelta a Espana, but hopes to add a full complement of Grand Tours to his palmares before he retires.

Bernal is set to take part in the Vuelta with Ineos Grenadiers after winning the Giro d'Italia last month, and speaking to Reuters the Colombian was guarded in his expectations.

“I don’t know if I can be at the level you need to be at to win a Grand Tour but I’ll be there,” Bernal said.

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“Right now my dream would be to one day win the Vuelta a Espana so I could win all of the big three."

Ineos head Dave Brailsford elected to take Geraint Thomas and Richard Carapaz as his GC riders to the 2021 Tour de France, meaning the 24-year-old is looking to Spain.

“I feel bad saying it because any cyclist knows how difficult that is. But I’d say, why not dream?" Bernal added on the Vuelta.

"I don’t think it will be this year, but I am 24 years old and maybe one day I can do the Vuelta a Espana and complete the Triple Crown. It would be a dream come true.”

The Vuelta team is likely to be filled out with Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock amongst others, demonstrating the strength in depth the team possesses.