"I felt like I was going to die" - Egan Bernal reveals alarming 190bpm scare behind Giro d'Italia struggles

Egan Bernal has revealed the physical alarm behind his difficult moment on stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia, admitting his heart rate climbed above 190bpm for more than 20 minutes before he was forced into damage limitation mode on the Cozzo Tunno.

The Colombian ultimately reached the finish in Cosenza without losing time to the main GC favourites, but only after Ben Turner dropped back from the reduced front group to help pace him across the gap.

On a day won by Jhonatan Narvaez, Bernal’s survival came at a clear cost to his British teammate, who still managed to finish fourth despite sacrificing his own shot at the stage.

Speaking to Eurosport.es, Bernal offered a more revealing account of his struggles than he had initially given in English. “It was a surprise. My pulse was super high,” he said. “I felt like I was going to die.”

Bernal’s issue came on the Cozzo Tunno, where Movistar Team drove a ferocious tempo that ripped apart the peloton, distanced the Maglia Rosa Guillermo Thomas Silva, and dropped a string of sprinters and outsiders.

For Bernal, the problem was not simply a lack of strength in the legs. “For more than 20 minutes, my heart rate was at more than 190 beats per minute,” he explained. “So I don't know. I didn't even have any pain in my legs, but it was like when you accelerate a car and it's flat out and you're revving the engine.”

The Netcompany INEOS leader was briefly distanced near the top of the climb, with Turner sent back to help him chase on the descent and run-in. Bernal made clear that he was already riding at his limit by that point.

“I tried to dig in, I did as much as I could but I was on the limit and in the end I had to drop,” he said. “Obviously it's not the best, but we know how it is. Days like that, in my sporting career I've had many of them. I'm not thinking too much about it.”

Turner’s role became one of the main talking points of the stage. The Briton had looked strong enough to fight for victory from the reduced group, but once Bernal slipped back, team priorities took over.

The chase worked. Bernal returned to the front group and preserved his GC position, but Turner was left to sprint after spending valuable energy rescuing his leader. His fourth place only underlined what might have been, and his own post-stage reaction carried the same tension. Turner was respectful of the team decision and pleased Bernal had avoided time loss, but he also admitted it felt like “a big disappointment” after racing with the legs to contest the win.

Bernal recognised the size of the sacrifice. “It's kind of sad because we saw in the end that he can win the stage if he doesn't wait for me,” he said. “In the end, the team took the decision, and I just want to thank him because without him, I would already be minutes down in the GC.”

The Colombian also backed Turner to get his own chance later in the race. “This is teamwork, and I really hope he can win a stage in the Giro because he deserves it,” Bernal added.

For Netcompany INEOS, the result was mixed. Bernal avoided a damaging time loss on a day when the race briefly threatened to open up around him, while Turner showed the kind of form that could have made him a stage-winning contender in his own right. The question now is how Bernal responds when the Giro reaches its first true mountain test on Blockhaus.