"It’s far more aggressive" - Ineos director confident of winning the Giro d’Italia with Egan Bernal

Egan Bernal has underlined that the road back to his top form is now a reality after a brilliant display on the queen stage of the Tour of the Alps 2026.

On the demanding run-in to Trento, the Ineos Grenadiers leader did more than follow the favourites’ pace. He showed instant reactions and total control when Aleksandr Vlasov and Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe tried to split the front group with a series of sharp accelerations.

Despite recently overcoming a nagging knee injury that forced a three-week pause and a skip of key calendar dates, the Zipaquirá champion looked fully restored for top-level racing, with the spark needed for the Grand Tours.

As reported by Cycling Weekly, the British team’s staff held firm faith in their leader, prioritising internal progression and recovery timelines over reacting to rivals’ tactical moves.

Leonard Basso, the team’s sports director, stressed the value of this build-up, saying: “We’re believing in the process for the Giro d’Italia. The Tour of the Alps is part of that path and has been vital for us in the past as preparation, we focus on our work to try to arrive in the best possible condition.”

That resolve translates into a shared strategy with Thymen Arensman, with whom Bernal will line up in Italy, reinforcing the team’s bid to regain lost prominence in the general classification fight.

Bernal’s 2026 transformation goes beyond ticking off training wattages without overshooting. It also reflects a psychological adaptation to the varied demands of what the team calls “the new cycling.”

In a landscape where outfits like Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe or UAE Team Emirates -XRG set a fierce pace from kilometre zero, the Colombian’s maturity stands as his best tactical weapon to manage efforts on days with heavy elevation gain.

Basso was unequivocal assessing the sport’s evolution and Egan’s capacity to thrive at the current elite level, stating: “We’ve seen different racing in recent years, it’s far more aggressive and the action happens further and further from the finish line. It’s a different sport, at least in part, and we must adapt to this new era.”

Accordingly, Ineos Grenadiers management downplays numeric comparisons with his pre-crash performance data, choosing instead to focus on the competitive hunger the rider continues to show on every mountain pass.

The coach underlines that the decisive factor lies squarely in the athlete’s mindset, noting: “From my point of view, mentality is fundamental. If you keep that ambition, and Egan has shown it clearly in this race, you can push the limit. With the right mindset, you can break barriers every day, both in training and in competition.”

With the Giro d’Italia on the horizon, a sharp and mentally strong Bernal promises a fierce duel against riders such as Jonas Vingegaard, João Almeida, Richard Carapaz, Tobias Lund Andresen or Giulio Pellizzari, placing the 2021 winner back among the podium favourites for a Grand Tour.