For the first time since withdrawing from the 2020 Tour de France, the winner of the 2019 edition of the race, Egan Bernal is set to return to the battle for the Maillot Jaune.
"Making my return to the Tour has always been a major goal for me. I'm so excited to be able to experience every kilometre of this race again," the Colombian revealed to the official website of the INEOS Grenadiers after the team was announced. "I’m sure many people have followed everything that has happened to me since my accident in January last year, and the journey I’ve been through to overcome the greatest test of my life. Being a part of this year’s Tour team reassures me that I’m on my way to returning to my best."
Bernal's road to recovery has been a long and hard one but in recent months he has begun to show some signs of a return to form. Although not quite at the level he was when he won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, Bernal achieved top 10 finishes at the Tour de Hongrie and the Tour de Romandie.
"This race is also an opportunity for me to show my gratitude and commitment to the team that continually supported me throughout, to thank each person who has helped me, from the nurses who took care of me in the hospital, the doctors, my friends, family, teammates and INEOS," he continues. "Above all I want to take this opportunity to inspire people and show them that, even if everything seems lost, we can trust in God. Be strong, because life only comes to us once and we must appreciate the second chances we’re given and take advantage of every second."
🗣️ "We’ve selected an exciting group of riders that bring a mix of skills and experience. The strength of this team will lie in the way we take on the race, and how we approach each stage." Get the pre-#TDF2023 thoughts of Rod Ellingworth and our riders: ineosgrenadiers.com/article/ineos-…
