"It's tough to go from being a Tour champion to just settling for following in the gruppetto" - Egan Bernal survives multiple crashes to make it to Paris
Cycling
A winner of the Tour de France in 2019, Egan Bernal returned to the race for the first time since 2020 this year and despite crashing multiple times, the Colombian has successfully navigated the three weeks of racing to tick another item off his list as his road to recovery continues.
Since his peak days, winning two Grand Tours, Bernal's career was almost brought to an end by a horrific crash. Although he isn't quite the rider he used to be yet and may well never be the same, Bernal isn't bitter, instead choosing always to look on the positive side of things. "When I started the Tour I had no expectations," he told L'Equipe. "I didn't give myself a specific goal because I knew anything could happen. But I think coming here was the best decision possible to take for my future."
"I'm happy to be able to finish it. This is the biggest, hardest race in the world, and the mere fact I can complete it is a victory," continues the 26-year-old. "I was aware I hadn't had the ideal preparation, but this was the race I had to do to be sure to move ahead. "My team gave me the chance to do it, even though they knew I wasn't necessarily going to be competitive."
Being a vital cog in the INEOS Grenadiers machine at the 2023 Tour de France, Bernal has been key in helping teammate Carlos Rodriguez secure 5th overall. "Mentally I needed to come back to the Tour," says Bernal. "It's tough to go from being a Tour champion to just settling for following in the gruppetto. But I don't ask myself the question of if one day I can win the Tour again. I'm no longer in that state of mind. All that is no longer a priority once you realise it's just life that truly matters."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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