Thijs Zonneveld analyzes the comeback of Egan Bernal: "He may push the same wattages as in his glory years, but that's not enough these days"
Cycling
In the latest episode of cycling podcast In Het Wiel, Thijs Zonneveld went in-depth to analyze just-ended Tour de Suisse and what we can take from the Swiss stage race towards the upcoming Tour de France. Besides the dominant UAE Team Emirates, he has also noticed the rise of Egan Bernal who seems to be almost back to his old self. Which won't be enough these days.
"Those two really stood out, not normal," said Zonneveld. "I also had the feeling that Almeida was slightly better than Yates. If it had been a three-week race, I think Almeida would have won it. He was really strong in the last days. Yates was just able to hold on, but that's the race."
Who also did well was Bernal. The Colombian from INEOS Grenadiers ultimately dropped from the podium but the fourth place in the final classification is still a nice result. "I'm really pleased that Bernal is back to a good level. It is of course a miracle that you can come back after such a fall," Zonneveld said.
"There is a Bernal from before that crash and a Bernal from after that crash," the journalist continued about the level of the South American. "The bad thing for him is that cycling has evolved so quickly in the years after his Tour victory. I really think he may push the same wattages as in his glory years, maybe even better. It's just going so much faster now, especially with the entrance of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and guys like that. That was all 2020 and beyond. And the level has also increased enormously in terms of breadth."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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