"I enjoy cycling more now than when I was winning" - Egan Bernal says he is 'still improving' and could contest for 2025 Giro

Egan Bernal is the winner of the 2021 Giro d'Italia but only months later he suffered a life-threatening crash that turned his career around completely. Four years later he returns to the Corsa Rosa, not with the same ambitions, but quite optimistic coming in with good form and still improving according to his own words.

"I'm still believing, and this is my hope. I'm still improving. And also I enjoy cycling more now than when I was winning," Bernal, who was one of the faces at the pre-race press conference, said. Like Richard Carapaz, he prepared for the Giro at altitude in South America: "I prepared myself there, my home is at 2,600 metres, so that's more than enough, it was good enough training - quality, normal preparation". 

Now fresh, both physically and mentally, the Colombian takes to the start of the Giro as a co-leader alongside Thymen Arensman in the colours of INEOS Grenadiers - albeit with a special national champion's jersey. "I had the team's support in the last two weeks, and yeah - now, we are here."

On Arensman, second at the recent Tour of the Alps, Bernal commented: "He's a great rider, super strong and with a great future. I'm also here to help him do a good GC. So we've many opportunities ahead of us, and with all of the strong guys in our team, we have to race hard and take our chances where we can."

Because of a crash suffered on his first race day in Europe at the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior, Bernal comes in to the Giro with only 10 race days on the legs, but these include two victories at the national championships - both road race and time-trial - and also a seventh place at the Volta a Catalunya where he showed quite a strong level. He could be very well able to fight for a similar result in the coming weeks.