ANALYSIS | 1563 days and three shortened stages: Egan Bernal’s road back to the top

Egan Bernal’s victory on stage 16 of the 2025 Vuelta a España could be remembered as a turning point in his career. Finally, the Colombian is a winner again within a grand tour. For a man who has faced so much during his career, his victory on stage 16 deserved more fans than the quiet early finish to a protest-disrupted stage 16. But, there is an eery similarity between this victory, and his last on the grand tour stage. His last WorldTour stage win came on May 30, 2021, on stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia. On that day, he dominated the snowy Passo Giau and soloed to Cortina d’Ampezzo. Fast forward 1,563 days and the Colombian finally crossed the line first again, this time in Castro de Herville at the Vuelta. The symmetry is striking: both stage 16, both shortened, both decisive for his career.

This victory carried another historical footnote. Bernal has now tasted victory of sorts on shortened stages at all three Grand Tours. The 2019 Tour de France saw him take yellow after stage 19 was halted by landslides and hail. Two years later, at the Giro, snow forced organisers to shorten stage 16, where Bernal triumphed in pink. And now, at the 2025 Vuelta, pro-Palestinian protests blocked the road, forcing an early finish eight kilometers before the planned line, where Bernal won again.

It's an abnormal stat. But Bernal’s career has been anything but normal, and it is brilliant to see him winning again at the upper stratosphere of cycling.

The length of the gap between his last win and this one reveals the depth of Bernal’s struggle. At 22 he was the youngest Tour de France champion in over a century. By 24 he had added the Giro d’Italia, seemingly on course to dominate Grand Tours in the new decade. But his trajectory was violently interrupted in January 2022, when a training crash in Colombia left him with fractured vertebrae, a broken femur, and other life-threatening injuries.

For most athletes, such an accident would have ended a career outright. In fact, in reality his career should have been over there and then, on the spot. The fact that Bernal returned to racing at all was extraordinary. Yet his results were modest compared to his precocious early success. The peloton had shifted during his recovery. Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar had established a new standard at the Tour, while Remco Evenepoel emerged as their closest challenger. Bernal fought just to remain competitive, often riding in service rather than as a leader.

That is what makes the 1,563 day figure so powerful. Every one of those days represents the uncertainty of his comeback, the gradual rebuild of form, and the patience required to reach the front again.

Finally, he is back on top at the highest level.

Having success on shortened stages at all three Grand Tours is an achievement no rider would deliberately chase. It requires a mix of circumstance, weather, protest, and luck. Yet Bernal has turned each chaotic interruption into a platform for victory.

Whether its snow, landslides, or protests, when the organisers are having a nightmare, Bernal is likely winning!

At the 2019 Tour, stage 19 was cut off mid-race because of sudden hailstorms and landslides. Times were taken at the top of the Col de l’Iseran, where Bernal had attacked. That moment gave him the yellow jersey and sealed his Tour win, much to the despair of the French nation as Julian Alaphilippe’s brave defence of yellow ended.

At the 2021 Giro, stage 16 was meant to be an epic day through the Dolomites. Heavy snow forced the organisers to reroute and shorten the stage. Bernal launched a devastating attack on the Passo Giau, riding alone into Cortina d’Ampezzo. That performance, under brutal conditions, confirmed his control of the race he would go on to win.

Now, at the 2025 Vuelta, the finish was neutralised eight kilometers early due to protests on the road. Riders were informed barely ten minutes before the improvised finish. Amid confusion, Bernal had the clarity to attack, out-kick Landa, and secure the stage.

It is an unusual thread to his palmarès: three shortened stages, three different Grand Tours, all three saw Bernal come out on top!

There is also symbolic resonance in the fact that both his last WorldTour stage win and this one came on stage 16. The Giro victory in 2021 was the defining climb of his second Grand Tour win, a ride that demonstrated his Tour victory was by no means a fluke. The Vuelta victory in 2025 is entirely different in meaning, less about dominance and more about survival, less about confirming superiority and more about proving that he is well and truly back.

The number 1,563 is the statistical link between the two, but the contrast between the rider then and the rider now is huge. In 2021, Bernal was viewed as the next great Grand Tour champion. In 2025, he is the comeback story, the rider who returned from the brink of retirement and claimed a win years after being told he would never walk again.

So, Bernal is a winner again. It’s been a long time coming, but what does it mean going forward?

Bernal’s win does not suddenly make him a favourite against Pogacar or Vingegaard in a three-week race. But it changes how his career is perceived. Instead of being remembered only for his rapid rise and the cruel interruption of injury, he now has a new chapter, the chapter of return. The signs were there at the Giro in May, but stage 16 of the Vuelta has confirmed he can still compete at the highest level.

The Vuelta win will inevitably raise questions about Bernal’s future targets. At 28, he has time to build toward another Grand Tour podium in 2026 if his health and consistency continue to improve. Whether that means a renewed push for the Giro or Tour remains to be seen.

The only reason he was contesting the stage win on stage 16 was because he had dropped out of GC contention, so he is certainly not back to his very best just yet. But, every year since his comeback we have seen improvement. 2026 might just see the best version of Bernal yet.

For his team the INEOS Grenadiers, the victory validates years of patience. They invested heavily in Bernal’s recovery, allowing him the space to rebuild when results were scarce. His win justifies that loyalty and gives the team a boost at a moment when younger riders are increasingly defining the sport’s landscape.

For a team that has faced so much criticism in recent years, INEOS certainly got the decision to back Bernal right.