Egan Bernal to race nationals, Paris-Nice and Catalunya this spring, before return to Tour de France

It has not yet passed one year since Egan Bernal had a life-threatening accident, and after a series of impressive comebacks, the Colombian is hoping for a return to his best level in 2023. His choice of calendar has become more clear as he builds towards the Tour de France.

A report by Marca has it that following the Vuelta a San Juan, the Colombian will ride the national championships on the 5th of February, and his return to Europe will only come afterwards. There, it is very likely that he will race Paris-Nice - a race he won in 2019 before his Maiden Tour win - and the Volta a Catalunya.

The spring classics seem unlikely, and Bernal is likely to race either Itzulia Basque Country or the Tour de Romandie. He will then begin his specific preparation towards the Tour de France. In 2019 he rode the Tour de Suisse where he won, before capturing the yellow jersey in Paris. The Swiss race and the Critérium du Dauphiné are naturally the most obvious options for the final pre-Tour race.

In France he's expected to team up with Daniel Martínez and Tom Pidcock. INEOS still has decisions to make when it comes to the Grand Tours, as Geraint Thomas and Thymen Arensman ride the Giro in May, but the likes of Tao Geoghegan Hart, Pavel Sivakov and Carlos Rodríguez have not yet decided on which races they will focus on.