Egan Bernal upbeat after battle with Jonas Vingegaard at Gran Camino: "It feels good to be back there"
Cycling
Egan Bernal finished second to Jonas Vingegaard at Gran Camiño last afternoon and took great confidence from it. In a brutal rainy day, the Colombian was the closest contender to the Tour de France champion.
"To be honest, it was a bit strange to compete with the boys in the front group again. But it feels good to be back there, fighting for the stage victory," Bernal said in a post-race interview. "After all, we always aim for the highest possible result and in this case that was a stage victory. However, a second place is also very special. It will give me confidence for the future." After a fifth place at the Tour Colombia earlier this season, Bernal made the trip to Europe and led INEOS Grenadiers in the Spanish race alongside Carlos Rodríguez.
However he turned out to be the one with the best legs. In the final ascent he and Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda followed Jonas Vingegaard's first attack, but were then both dropped in a second acceleration. "I waited for him for a while on the climb so that we could ride to the finish together," Bernal said, with the duo limiting their losses to 24 seconds but gaining time on the competition. "He did a great job on the climb, so it was a good idea to work together in the last kilometers."
Hence it was a very promising result to kick off his European campaign for the year, and it gives expectations of finishing on the podium of the race. However he admits the weather got to him: "It was extreme. You try to stay warm and optimistic, but at a certain point it's enough. It wasn't funny anymore. But it's part of racing. It's part of the sport." Bernal did perform well however, and within the next two stages will have two more important tests before returning to World Tour racing.
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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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- 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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"This second place is special for me. For sure it will give me some motivation for the future." 🗣️👊 Hear from @Eganbernal after his rousing ride on stage two at #OGC24
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