A year has passed since the crash that has changed his life forever, and Egan Bernal has detailed his new outlook on life in a recent interview.
“I think today is exactly one year ago, but to tell you the truth when I came out of surgery it was really the last thing on my mind,” Bernal told Eurosport. “I spent many hours in the operating theatre. I was even told that some people thought I was dead, and there was also a good chance that I would be in a wheelchair, so I really didn't think I would be able to get back on a bike.
“The only thing I thought about was just living and being with my family," he assures. Bernal crashed into a stationed bus at high-speed and suffered dozens of fractures on his body as a result. He had been given a 95% chance of passing away or becoming paraplegic, a very negative outlook following the accident that happened close to home in Colombia whilst he was out with teammates.
“The first days you have to learn to walk again, it's super complicated. To be able to eat, just to wash my mouth, to be able to shower. Those were the first things I had to learn," he details. "And just to do that, it took me two months. So imagine if just to walk, to wash your mouth, it takes you two months, then how long it's going to take me to get back to a competitive level in a peloton... it was hours of work. But I had the support of my family, of the whole team and it was a big team effort.”
However what happened was that Bernal, miraculously, has managed to thrive despite the many health issues he had to endure. In August, less than seven months after the crash, he made his competitive return at the Tour of Denmark, a stunning achievement for a person who was given very small chances of returning to a normal life after the crash.
“Sometimes you shut yourself up in cycling, and think that cycling is everything. For me it's not like this. After the 2019 Tour de France I was obsessed with the Tour," he says. Bernal will aim towards the Tour de France this year, and is testing his legs at the Vuelta a San Juan currently.
"If I didn’t win the Tour it would be the end of the world and the reality is not like this. After cycling I have a life, a normal life like you or any other people. Cycling is obviously a very important part of our lives, we are professionals and we love cycling but we all have a mum, a dad or someone who’s waiting at home and that’s much more important than the Tour de France," he aknowledges.
“When you´re in this situation, it’s more precious to be alive. When I saw Vingegaard winning the Tour I felt happy for him. I have my own life, and everyone is living his own situation. There was no room for frustration, I’m just grateful with life for being here and being able to do what I love the most which is riding my bike, telling my story and inspiring people with it.”
The Colombian will see what his true level is over the coming months, following a winter which he deemed successful, and having similar numbers to those of previous years. “It doesn't mean I have lost my ambition and will to win, because I still want to win and I wake up every morning aiming to be the best, but if I don't make it it's fine."
"I have my family, my dog waiting at home just happy to see me – doesn't matter if I win here in San Juan or not. And I'm gonna give the best version of myself. I’m going to be professional. If there’s one that’s better… Remco, Pogacar, Vingegaard... they´re the best in the world. What can I do?" He said.
“What's important for me is to inspire people that maybe are suffering like I was and tell them that they can leave those moments behind. I would like to be at the Tour in a good level and give the best from myself and see how far I can go. I would like to do it well and that's the reason why I wake up every morning," Bernal concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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You love to see it 😊 @Eganbernal is up there in the breakaway at #VueltaSJ2023. He's one of around 14 riders up the road and we've ticked over the halfway point.
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