Analysis: Egan Bernal's evolution from the crash that almost cost him his life to the 2023 Tour de France
Cycling
Egan Bernal nearly lost his life in early 2022 after crashing into a bus north of Bogotá. He suffered multiple fractures all over his body, but by August of that year he was competing. He will now return to the Tour de France after an inspirational recovery.
In August he rode four stages of the Tour of Denmark and four stages of the Deutschland Tour. In September, he did not finish the Giro della Toscana on the 14th and a day later, on the 15th, he finished 28th in the Coppa Sabatini. There he said goodbye to his season to focus on preparing for 2023.
After a long winter in which we could see multiple videos of him training hard in Colombia, he made his debut on January 22 in the Vuelta a San Juan. He gave good sensations finishing fourth on the Alto del Colorado in the fifth stage ahead of men like Remco Evenepoel and Einer Rubio. However, he did not start the following day due to a crash the day before, which subsequently kept him out of the race for a couple of months.
He did not return until March 20 in the Volta a Catalunya, where he did not perform too well and from which he also had to withdraw. However, he was able to take part in the Itzulia where he finished 92nd overall: it didn't matter, finally more than a year after his fall he had been able to finish a stage race again.
It was April 8 and by then his chances of riding the Tour de France seemed remote due to his poor form. So INEOS Grenadiers offered him a tight schedule that included the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Hongrie, most likely eyeing the Vuelta a Espana at this point.
And in Romandie he again showed good sensations in the high mountains, finishing eighth at the top of Thyon 2000 and overall. Then, in Hungary, he was active, attacking and close to the top, also finishing eighth in the final classification.
These good performances earned Egan Bernal a change of plans and a place in the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he confirmed the good sensations shown by finishing in the top 30 in all the road stages of the race and finishing 12th overall.
All this positive evolution has meant that, barring any last minute surprises, he will be in Bilbao on Saturday, July 1 for the Grande Départ of the Tour de France 2023. We can't expect him to fight for the overall win or to win a great mountain stage, but we can expect him to be of great help to his teammates and to feel like a top-level rider again.
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Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- Yes, Roglic could theoretically have beaten Sepp. Jonas must have had complete confidence that he could come back and win the Vuelta another year. Visma had not allowed Roglic to ride the Tour that year, so his future did not look so bright, despite his narrow Giro win..Hills3315-11-2026
- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
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💥🚨 Última hora | Informa la @Gazzetta_it que Egan Bernal estará en el ocho del @INEOSGrenadiers del Tour de Francia #TdF2023
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