Just like that, in a whir of freewheels and a flash of pink, the Giro d'Italia is over for another year. It crowned new champions in various classifications, some more unexpected than others, and yielded some hard-fought, heart-in-mouth stages in the beguiling scenery that the race has become known for.

Ushered in for the first time via a Bulgarian grande partenza, the 'firsts' began straight away, and only continued as the race made its way up the boot of Italy, pinballing from coast to coast before taking riders over the mountains in the north.

In Rome, after the dust had settled on the final stage, there was one brand new champion and at least one new star. And then there were the hopefuls for whom the race had not worked out as it might have – including one who joked that he'd be burning his race numbers and jerseys in an attempt to erase it from memory.

For a multitude of teams it was also a race to forget – or at least move on from: only nine came away with stage wins.

Let's take a look at the hits and misses of the Giro d'italia 2026.

THE HITS

Jonas Vingegaard (overall winner)

Few fans were in any doubt of Jonas Vingegaard's credentials as one of the best bike racers in the world, and he certainly didn't need the Giro d'Italia to validate that. But that status has, for around two-and-a-half seasons now, come with a Tadej-Pogačar-shaped caveat: the Slovenian, goes the narrative, is another level up from the diminutive Dane.

With his Giro d'Italia victory though, not to mention an already-impressive start to 2026, Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard is starting to edit that story in his favour. He won the Vuelta a España last August, but the Giro d'Italia is more prestigious and the win has the added and well publicised bonus of making Vingegaard only the eighth male rider to have won all three Grand Tours. Before Pogačar too, who has yet to win the Vuelta.

Vingegaard's Italian expedition appeared lukewarm to begin with. The absolute favourite, he began taking solo victories in the mountains as soon as they began, on stage seven to Blockhaus. But he wasn't quite as far ahead of his closest rival (Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM, who finished second in Rome), as onlookers might have expected.

But Vingegaard's condition seemed to hone itself to a sharper edge as the race continued, while his rivals found theirs became blunted or fell away entirely (he was only 13 seconds ahead of Gall at Blockhaus, but a full 1:15 ahead on his final summit win on stage 20 to Piancavallo).

At the final count in Rome, the Dane had won five stages (all summit finishes) and the overall by a healthy 5:22.

Post-stage in the Italian capital Vingegaard said the win had left him "lost for words", so team boss Richard Plugge took up the baton, sending an ominous message to Pogačar et al: "… Jonas is getting even stronger after this," the Dutchman said. "We planned it so that he’ll be at his peak at the Tour de France. We are looking forward to that fight.”

Paul Magnier (points jersey winner)

In a race with so few obvious sprinting opportunities, it was perhaps a surprise to find such an intriguing narrative to emerge from the fast-finishing stages.

France's Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), still just 22, is hardly an unknown, but he hasn't been considered on quite the same level as Grand Tour success stories like Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay and Jonathan Milan. Until now, that is, because now Magnier has his own Grand Tour success story to tell.

Going into this Giro d'Italia, all eyes were on home rider Milan (Lidl-Trek), a previous winner of the ciclamino points jersey on two previous occasions.

However, he found many of his sprinting intentions thwarted by the upstart Magnier, who won not only the first stage but also pulled on the first maglia rosa of the race.

He became the sprinting sensation of the race, winning a further two stages and wearing the points jersey nearly every day. An unfamiliar 11th place in Rome after he found himself boxed in – with Milan finally getting his stage – won't take the sheen off a Giro that has well and truly announced Magnier to the world.

Afonso Eulálio (best young rider)

Every Grand Tour has the potential to make a star of a hitherto little known rider. Recent editions of the Giro d'Italia have selected Derek Gee, João Almeida and Ben Healy – this year it was the Bahrain Victorious rider Afonso Eulálio.

The story was a familiar one: rider finds himself in the race leader's jersey; rider thrives in the spotlight and finds abilities he didn't realise he had in the struggle to hang on to the jersey, and in doing so wins fans over.

Eulálio, 24, might have previously flitted across the consciousness of British fans thanks to his sixth overall at last year's Tour of Britain. But for most, their first encounter with the Portuguese rider would have been his memorable second place behind Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on stage five in the Giro – a day that was marked by crashes and wrong turns of almost farcical proportions.

The maglia rosa was the consolation prize, but one that few expected him to wear beyond the Blockhaus stage two days later.

However, Eulálio held on to it that day. And the next, and the next. In fact, he ultimately grimaced and ground his way through a further eight stages resplendent in pink. But once Vingegaard had inevitably lifted it from his shoulders, there was no dramatic capitulation. Instead Eulálio kept riding with the front runners like he had always belonged there, only ceding time in dribs and drabs, and even attacking spontaneously when he sensed there was an advantage to be had.

By the time the race reached Rome, Eulálio was still sixth overall and had won the young rider's jersey – and fans' hearts.

...AND THE MISSES

Giulio Pellizzari (21st overall)

A week before the Giro d'Italia began in Bulgaria (remember that?) Giulio Pellizzari won the Tour of the Alps, at a canter, with aplomb. The young Italian hotshot was ready, his Red Bell-Bora-hansgrohe team said at the time, to challenge for the podium at the Giro d'Italia.

However, it became clear early on that Pellizzari was no longer on sparkling form. What was happening, we wondered. Were his Alpine exertions exactly a toll? The answer, it transpired, was that he'd been struck by a bug – one ended up plaguing him for much of the race.

He slipped slowly out of GC contention and finished, ultimately, in 21st place. His participation was hardly a wasted one though – as well as gaining great experience in what it is like to keep fighting when the cause is lost, he turned in some valuable domestique duty in the final mountain days.

All the same, speaking afterwards, he said he was glad the "ordeal" was over. "I don’t want to keep a single memory of this Giro. I’m going to burn all the race numbers and all the jerseys," he joked. "After that, we’ll think about the next race.”

Egan Bernal (10th overall)

Another rider who had shown promise during the Tour of the Alps in late April, the former Tour de France winner was to form part of a two-pronged GC approach at the Giro d'Italia, alongside Netcompany-Ineos teammate Thymen Arensman.

At the Tour of the Alps, there was even talk of Bernal finally refinding his Tour-winning form from seven years ago, after a long road back from a training crash in early 2022. Perhaps he has, but if that is the case, it would appear cycling has moved on: a promising start at the Giro d'Italia gave way to a gradual time bleed that saw him drop into the mid-teens on GC.

Late in the race the Colombian looked to have discovered a second wind, and his distinctive blue, yellow and red national champion's jersey could often be seen marshalling Arensman in and around the favourites' group on various mountain stages.

He managed creditable seventh and sixth place finishes on stage 16 and 20 respectively, boosting him to a final 10th on GC in Rome.

As misses go, it was far less wide of the mark than it could have been, but Bernal's lack of mid-race form cost him dear.

Despite last-minute drop-outs from GC contenders João Almeida and Richard Carapaz, there are still plenty of strong riders lining up for the start of the Giro d'Italia in Bulgaria this Friday. Three weeks of riding through the Italian countryside (after starting in Bulgaria) will see the general classification battle shape up day-by-day; is Jonas Vingegaard's title as safe as it seems from the outset?

This is our list of the top contenders vying for the maglia rosa in 2026.

Read more: Giro d'Italia 2026 route | Giro d'Italia 2026 start list | Abandons

Jonas Vingegaard
29 | Den | Visma-Lease a Bike
Previous Giro starts: 0
Best GC result: N/A
Best stage result: N/A

This will be Jonas Vingegaard’s first participation in the Giro d’Italia. Having won the Vuelta and the Tour de France, he has made no secret of the fact he’d love to complete the full set of Grand Tours.

“I chose the Giro because it’s one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, and because I’ve never raced it before,” he said following the announcement. He also suggested that the course is not “excessively hard”, so would allow him to recover in time for the Tour de France in July.

The Dane will start as the clear favourite. Some of his most potent rivals include rising Italian star Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), and Thymen Arensman (Netcompany-Ineos), a double mountains stage winner at last year’s Tour de France and a fine time triallist.

But few have been able to get close to Vingegaard in the past two Tours de France, despite a huge crash at Itzulia Basque Country in 2024 that left the Dane below par for a long, long time – possibly until right now.

“I feel like I’ve spent the last two years fighting my way back to that level – back to the Jonas I was before my crash,” he said in a recent interview. His performances so far this season have suggested he could be there. His 4.23 winning margin on GC at Paris-Nice in March was the biggest since 1939, and he took an impressive win at the more recent Volta a Catalunya.

Giulio Pellizzari
22 | Ita | Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Previous Giro starts: 2
Best GC result: 6th (2025)
Best stage result: 2nd (2024)

While the cycling world is currently being wooed by French teen sensation Paul Seixas, another youngster with impressive chops has slipped in almost under the radar.

Despite his tender 22 years, Giulio Pellizzari already has a solid Giro d’Italia record that he will hope to build on this month. He performed well at the Vuelta a España last year too, matching his sixth overall from the Giro and winning a first Grand Tour stage.

Most recently, the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider has indicated his excellent current condition by winning two stages on the way to overall victory at the Tour of the Alps in Austria and Italy.

Speaking after the final stage, Pellizzari’s DS Christian Pömer, said: “We can be confident now to have a chance to fight for the podium at the Giro.” The Tour of the Alps result “scares me a little”, he said, because of the superstition that the winner there rarely does well at the Giro, adding, “But with [Tadej] Pogačar we’ve seen the curse of the rainbow jersey doesn't exist anymore, and we hope for the same for Tour of the Alps and the Giro.”

Hailing from Camerino in central Italy, Pellizzari is the home nation’s greatest hope of ending a 10-year GC-winners’ drought at the Giro. Pellizzari’s ability to fulfil those hopes has been further boosted by his improved time trialling, which he can now call a strength alongside his natural climbing ability. In 2024 he was gifted a maglia rosa by his idol Tadej Pogačar; it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this year he could wear it for real.

Jai Hindley
29 | Aus | Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Previous Giro starts: 5
Best GC result: 1st (2022)
Best stage result: 1st (x2) in 2020, ‘22

One of two former winners of the Giro d’Italia on the start list, Jai Hindley comes into the race as a co-leader for Red Bull alongside Italian hope Giulio Pellizzari. The 29-year-old has not had a 2026 to shout about, with 17th place overall at the Volta a Catalunya following 22nd place at Tirreno-Adriatico, but he has the experience to make things count over the three weeks.

Last year, Hindley crashed out of the Giro on stage six, leaving Pellizzari clear to finish sixth overall; Red Bull will hope that the pair can work together more effectively over the three weeks this time around, presenting two viable GC options for Jonas Vingegaard to worry about.

While he hasn’t won a Grand Tour since his sole Giro win in 2022, Hindley has finished in the top-10 three times since, twice at the Vuelta a España and once at the Tour de France, including fourth overall at last summer’s Vuelta. A win would be a surprise, as it was in 2022 when the Australian overcame Richard Carapaz and Mikel Landa to pull on the pink jersey, but it should not be ruled out. This Giro’s relative lack of attritional climbing should open up the race a bit more, and the inclusion of just one time trial won’t be too detrimental to his chances.

His 2022 win was built on solid consistency before a penultimate-day triumph, a lot like Simon Yates’s glory last year. There’s no reason why Hindley could not do it again. After all, shocks seem to happen more at the Giro than other Grand Tours. In a race short on top GC talent, the canny Australian might just have the ability to sneak through the pack while all eyes are on Pellizzari and Vingegaard.

Ben O’Connor
30 | Aus | Jayco-AlUla
Previous Giro starts: 4
Best GC result: 4th (2024)
Best stage result: 1st (2020)

A bold and brilliant climber, capable of winning stages solo from the break, O’Connor starts his fifth Giro with an impressive palmarès, having taken stage victories in all the Grand Tours.

The Australian took his first Grand Tour stage win at the Giro in 2020, following it up in 2021 with a stage win at the Tour de France and an impressive fourth on GC. O’Connor also finished fourth on GC at the Corsa Rosa in 2024, during his final year with Decathlon, when he later nailed a stage win and second place overall at the Vuelta a España. Last year, riding for Jayco-AlUla, he scored a stunning mountains stage win at the Tour, beating Pogačar over Col de la Loze. He has had a steady 2026 so far, but expect him to peak for the Giro and vie for a high GC placing.

Thymen Arensman
26 | Ned | Netcompany-Ineos
Previous Giro starts: 4
Best GC result: 6th (2023, 24)
Best stage result: 2nd (2022)

With a new jersey on his back and a capable co-pilot in team-mate Egan Bernal, in-form Dutchman Thymen Arensman should be gunning for a top-five place in what will be his fifth participation in the Italian tour. He has finished sixth here twice before, in 2023 and 2024, and last year won a brace of major mountains stages at the Tour de France, holding off both Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) on both occasions.

Tall, slender, and built for climbing, Arensman also has a strong time trial, which will be helpful but not crucial in this year’s single, flat TT on stage 10. Both Arensman and Bernal rode strongly at last month’s Tour of the Alps, filling out the podium behind winner Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), whom they’ll also face here at the Giro. As to which Netcompany rider will ultimately take the lead, their DS, Leonardo Basso insisted the “road will decide”.

Egan Bernal
29 | Col | Netcompany-Ineos
Previous Giro starts: 2
Best GC result: 1st (2021)
Best stage result: 1st (x2) in 2021

After years spent fighting back from a devastating training crash, Egan Bernal appears to be closing in on his former, Tour de France-winning self. This year’s Giro will see him form one half of a two-pronged GC assault alongside team-mate Thymen Arensman.

Decked out in the red, yellow and blue Colombian national champion’s jersey, with a bike to match, Bernal is slowly amassing a series of results that do ample justice to his sharp looks. Last year’s seventh overall at the Giro d’Italia was by far his best Grand Tour GC ride since his 2022 crash, and he looks capable of building on that this year judging by his recent fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and second overall at the mountainous Tour of the Alps. What’s more, Netcompany DS Leonardo Basso says he has the “mentality” to match his pre-crash results too.

Felix Gall
28 | Aut | Decathlon CMA CGM
Previous Giro starts: 1
Best GC result: 50th (2022)
Best stage result: 11th (2022)

The 2026 edition is only the second time Gall has raced the Giro d’Italia. His first appearance at the race, in 2022, was a Grand Tour initiation for the young AG2R rider. Now, four years later, at 28 years old and as Decathlon’s team leader, Gall will be returning to Italy with a roster of near-podium placings under his belt: fifth overall at the UAE Tour (with a third-place finish on the queen stage) and sixth at the Volta a Catalunya (finishing second on the key mountain stage).

A good climber and growing GC threat, the Austrian won a stage at the 2023 Tour de France and is now targeting a podium position at either the Giro or the Vuelta a España. The Italian race is his first major goal of the season.

Derek Gee-West
28 | Can | Lidl-Trek
Previous Giro starts: 2
Best GC result: 4th (2025)
Best stage result: 2nd (2023)

Despite an impressive overall fourth place at last year’s Giro and a series of second-place stage finishes in his 2023 debut, Gee-West was, until February, without a team for the 2026 season. Since signing with his new team, Lidl-Trek, the Canadian has made no secret of his Giro d’Italia hopes.

But Gee-West’s Giro preparation was interrupted by an illness that saw him abandon last month’s Volta a Catalunya, missing out on important pre-Giro practice stages after a solid seventh place finish at the UAE Tour just before.

The 28-year-old’s Volta disappointment seems to have been a blip in his otherwise stacked pre-Giro calendar: the Canadian prefers to work the legs right up to his favourite race of the year. At April’s Tour of the Alps, he finished a solid 12th overall. Bolstered by a new team, Gee-West looks to be in a strong position heading into the race.

OUTSIDE OPTIONS FOR GIRO GLORY

Of all the possible remaining wildcard options for the GC, there is a former Grand Tour winner in Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike). The American won the Vuelta a España in 2023 and will work for Vingegaard, but is an able deputy. Tudor Pro Cycling rider Michael Storer is a fine climber who has placed 10th on GC at the previous two Giri d’Italia and, this season, fourth overall at the recent Tour of the Alps stage race. Expect to see the 29-year-old Aussie hunting down another high GC placing this month.

Movistar’s Enric Mas has ridden 14 Grand Tours already, but never the Giro – until now. With four Vuelta GC podiums and a brace of Tour top-sixes, expect to see him in the GC hunt. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Aleksandr Vlasov has two team-mates to ride for this year, but is easily capable of finishing in the top 10 as well. Fourth in 2021, he will take over leadership duties should injury or illness beset the other two mentioned in these pages.

Abandons

Adam Yates
33 | GBr | UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Previous Giro starts: 3
Best GC result: 9th (2017)
Best stage result: 4th (2015)

The UAE leader crashed heavily on stage two, and after showing delayed concussive symptoms was prevented from starting the next day.

In the run-in to Trento, on what was the Queen stage of an already very challenging Tour of the Alps, GC leader Giulio Pellizzari began flexing his muscles, attacking the favourites group.

However, he was pounced on instantly, multiple times, by one rival in particular. A rival who looked not just spirited but in control too. If you didn't watch the race, you might hazard a guess at Tom Pidcock, or perhaps defending champion Michael Storer. But this was, in fact, Egan Bernal.

As the Giro d'Italia approaches, the 29-year-old Colombian – vying for best-dressed rider in the peloton with his jersey and bike national champ's combo – has been looking good at this race, and never more so than today on stage four, which was won solo by surprise winner Lennart Jasch (Tudor Pro Cycling).

Speaking after the stage, Ineos Grenadiers sports director Leonard Basso was reserved in his judgement, but said the team was "believing in the process", but had absolute faith in Bernal, as well as co-leader Thymen Arensman in its approach to the Giro d'Italia.

"We are believing in the process for the Giro d'Italia. So this [the Tour of the Alps] is part of that process and has been an important race for us in the past as a preparation. And also this year, we are building this shape for the Giro. But at the same time, we are focusing to try to make the best out of it."

Bernal recently took three weeks away from training with a knee injury, missing key races. But Basso said the team's faith in him did not waver.

"We kept the belief always with Thymen and Egan in the team," he said. "So yeah, I would say that we are more focused on our process than that of others. Of course, we know that our competitors are super strong, [Jonas] Vingegaard in particular, but yeah, we are keeping doing our stuff, and we'll try to arrive in the best shape possible in Bulgaria."

He said that having Arensman and Bernal working together in the build-up to the Giro was crucial, and the pair seem to be making the best of the five-day Tour of the Alps, lying second and third respectively at the time of writing, both a scant four seconds off race leader Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe).

Basso said the that Bernal, who won the Giro in 2021, and the team were adapting to a "different cycling", one that has perhaps changed in the time that the Colombian has been recovering.

"[We've seen a] different cycling in the last few years," he said. "It's more aggressive, the action is further from finish. And also this bonus close to the finish [the Red Bull Kilometre at the Giro] is different. It's a different sport, not completely, but in part. So we have to adapt. It's always adapting to the new era."

Basso would not be drawn on Bernal's numbers compared to those of his pre-crash days, but said in any case he was more interested in the rider's mental strengths and general approach – not something Bernal lacks, he inferred.

"From my point of view, it is the mentality. If you have the same mentality [as pre-crash] – and Egan has shown these mentalities in this race – you can push the limit. I think in this modern cycling, everything is around the marginal gains, all the small pieces and putting them all together. If you have the right mentality, you can push the limits every day in every training and race."

Bernal had shown that mentality both at training camps and in races, Basso said. At last year's Giro d'Italia he was seventh overall. This year sees a strong field, with not just Vingegaard, Pellizzari and Arensman but João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and former winner Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), but it would not be a major surprise to see Bernal take another step closer to the podium.

Two late changes have been made to the start list for the Vuelta a España, which begins this Saturday, 23 August.

Damiano Caruso is out of the race for Bahrain Victorious after he fractured his hand slipping over "accidentally" on the floor this week, and is replaced by Finlay Pickering. Ben Turner, meanwhile, joins Ineos Grenadiers after Lucas Hamilton fell ill.

All teams have been announced for the 80th edition of the Spanish Grand Tour, ahead of three weeks of racing from Turin, Italy, to Madrid on 14 September.

Every squad has eight riders, with varying objectives; some teams aim for the overall win or top 10 on the general classification, while others aim for stage wins, sprints or otherwise.

Egan Bernal, winner of the 2019 Tour de France and 2021 Giro d'Italia, will be supported by a strong Ineos Grenadiers team which includes Filippo Ganna and Michał Kwiatkowski.

"My preparation has been good, and with the team we’re bringing - a mix of Grand Tour winners, strong support and guys hungry to show themselves - we can be confident," Bernal said in a statement.

After withdrawing early from the Tour de France after breaking his collarbone, Jasper Philipsen returns to Grand Tour action for Alpecin-Deceuninck at the Vuelta. He comes with a lead-out train, looking to add to his three previous stage wins.

Soudal Quick-Step have become T-Rex Quick-Step for the Vuelta a España and will be led by Mikel Landa, supported by Tour de France stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre.

Fresh from winning the Tour of Denmark, Mads Pedersen will lead Lidl-Trek alongside Giulio Ciccone.

Pedersen, a four-time stage winner at this year's Giro, will seek to add to his three previous Vuelta stage wins, as Lidl-Trek chase a clean sweep of points jerseys at Grand Tours this season.

He will ride with a mixed team which includes Ciccone, a three-time Giro stage winner.

Jayco AlUla head to the Vuelta with Ben O'Connor, who finished second overall last year, off the back of winning the Col de la Loze stage at the Tour de France. He will be joined by Eddie Dunbar, who crashed out of the Tour, and Chris Harper, stage winner at the Giro.

Visma-Lease a Bike will be led by Jonas Vingegaard, second at the recent Tour de France. He will attempt to win the Vuelta for the first time, to add to his two Tour crowns. Visma won the Giro d'Italia this year through Simon Yates, so would win a second Grand Tour of 2025 were they to triumph in Spain.

The Dane will be joined by Matteo Jorgenson, former winner Sepp Kuss, Victor Campenaerts, Dylan van Baarle, Wilco Kelderman, Ben Tulett and Axel Zingle.

“The overall win is our big goal, there’s no need to be coy about that,” Grischa Niermann, the team's head of racing, said. “Jonas is our leader and our biggest chance for the overall victory. But with Sepp, we have a former winner at the start, and Matteo has recovered well after the Tour de France."

UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who won the Tour through Tadej Pogačar, announced their eight for the Vuelta earlier in August, with the Slovenian absent.

They will be led by João Almeida and Juan Ayuso as they attempt to claim the red jersey; Almeida will be a top favourite alongside Vingegaard for overall victory.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will not bring defending champion Primož Roglič, instead targeting success through Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley.

Tom Pidcock was confirmed to be leading Q36.5 Pro Cycling at the Vuelta, alongside David de la Cruz and Damien Howson.

Picnic PostNL are without Max Poole, but bring a mixed squad with Chris Hamilton, Kevin Vermaerke, and Casper van Uden.

Meanwhile, Felix Gall leads Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, fresh from finishing fifth overall at the Tour de France.

There are six riders aged 25 or younger in EF Education-EasyPost's squad, which includes Grand Tour debuts for Archie Ryan, Markel Beloki, Lukas Nerurkar and Jardi van der Lee.

Meanwhile, Bahrain Victorious are targeting the podium through Antonio Tiberi and stage wins with an experienced eight.

Groupama-FDJ take experience and stage-winning options to the Vuelta, through Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Stefan Küng and David Gaudu, among others.

XDS Astana head to Spain with Harold Martín Lopez, Sergio Higuita and Harold Tejada, while Intermarché-Wanty bring Louis Meintjes and Dion Smith in a mixed squad.

Movistar are without their big GC hope Enric Mas or former winner Nairo Quintana, but do come with Pablo Castrillo, a two-time stage winner at last year's race.

There are 18 WorldTour teams and five ProTeams on the start list; the WorldTour teams have automatic entry, along with Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech as the two best-ranked ProTeams of 2024. The other three invites are handed out at the organiser's discretion.

The full list of teams set to compete at the Vuelta are below.

Vuelta a España 2025 start list

Alpecin-Deceuninck
PLANCKAERT Edward (Bel)
PHILIPSEN Jasper (Bel)
RICKAERT Jonas (Bel)
VERGALLITO Luca (Ita)
BAYER Tobias (Aut)
GLIVAR Gal (Slo)
DEBRUYNE Ramses (Bel)
RIESEBEEK Oscar (Ned)

Arkéa-B&B Hotels
GUERNALEC Victor (Fra)
BIERMANS Jenthe (Bel)
GARCÍA PIERNA Raúl (Esp)
ROULAND Louis (Fra)
THIERRY Pierre (Fra)
RODRÍGUEZ Cristián (Esp)
VERRE Alessandro (Ita)
LOZOUET Léandre (Fra)

Bahrain Victorious
BUITRAGO Santiago (Col)
BURATTI Nicolò (Ita)
PICKERING Finlay (GBr)
ERMAKOV Roman (Rus)
HAIG Jack (Aus)
PAASCHENS Mathijs (Ned)
TIBERI Antonio (Ita)
TRÆEN Torsten (Nor)

Burgos Burpellet BH
FAGÚNDEZ Eric Antonio (Uru)
APARICIO Mario (Esp)
CHUMIL Sergio Geovani (Gua)
FAURA José Luis (Esp)
CAVIA Daniel (Esp)
DE LA CALLE Hugo (Esp)
GARCÍA PIERNA Carlos (Esp)
FERNÁNDEZ Sinuhé (Esp)

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
BARCELÓ Fernando (Esp)
SILVA Guillermo Thomas (Uru)
OTRUBA Jakub (Cze)
BOU Joan (Esp)
NICOLAU Joel (Esp)
GUARDEÑO Jaume (Esp)
BALDERSTONE Abel (Esp)
MOLENAAR Alex (Ned)

Cofidis
CARR Simon (GBr)
ANIOŁKOWSKI Stanisław (Pol)
BUCHMANN Emanuel (Ger)
COQUARD Bryan (Fra)
HERRADA Jesús (Esp)
KNIGHT Oliver (GBr)
OURSELIN Paul (Fra)
SAMITIER Sergio (Esp)

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
BISIAUX Léo (Fra)
GALL Felix (Aut)
PETERS Nans (Fra)
STAUNE-MITTET Johannes (Nor)
DE PESTEL Sander (BEl)
ARMIRAIL Bruno (Fra)
LABROSSE Jordan (Fra)
SCOTSON Callum (Aus)

EF Education-EasyPost
BELOKI Markel (Esp)
CHAVES Esteban (Col)
MIHKELS Madis (Est)
NERURKAR Lukas (GBr)
QUINN Sean (USA)
RYAN Archie (Ire)
SHAW James (GBr)
VAN DER LEE Jardi (Ned)

Groupama-FDJ
MARTIN GUYONNET Guillaume (Fra)
KÜNG Stefan (Sui)
GAUDU David (Fra)
CAVAGNA Remi (Fra)
MOLARD Rudy (Fra)
BRAZ AFONSO Clément (Fra)
ROLLAND Brieuc (Fra)
GRUEL Thibaud (Fra)

Ineos Grenadiers
BERNAL Egan (Col)
GANNA Filippo (Ita)
KWIATKOWSKI Michał (Pol)
JUNGELS Bob (Lux)
RIVERA Brandon Smith (Col)
SHEFFIELD Magnus (USA)
LANGELLOTTI Victor (Mon)
TURNER Ben (GBr)

Intermarché-Wanty
VAN BOVEN Luca (Bel)
SMITH Dion (NZl)
PETILLI Simone (Ita)
MEINTJES Louis (RSA)
MARIT Arne (Bel)
DE POOTER Dries (Bel)
BONNEU Kamiel (Bel)
ARTZ Huub (Ned)

Israel-Premier Tech
FRIGO Marco (Ita)
RICCITELLO Matthew (USA)
VERNON Ethan (GBr)
RAISBERG Nadav (Isr)
STEWART Jake (GBr)
CÔTÉ Pier-André (Can)
BENNETT George (NZl)
HIRT Jan (Cze)

Jayco AlUla
DUNBAR Eddie (Ire)
O'CONNOR Ben (Aus)
HARPER Chris (Aus)
GAMPER Patrick (Aut)
BOUWMAN Koen (Ned)
FOLDAGER Anders (Den)
O'BRIEN Kelland (Aus)
JUUL-JENSEN Christopher (Den)

Lidl-Trek
PEDERSEN Mads (Den)
CICCONE Giulio (Ita)
HOOLE Daan (Ned)
KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren (Den)
VERONA Carlos (Spa)
BERNARD Julien (Fra)
BAGIOLI Andrea (Ita)
GHEBREIGZABHIER Amanuel (Eri)

Lotto
LIVYNS Arjen (Bel)
VIVIANI Elia (Ita)
SEPÚLVEDA Eduardo (Arg)
SLOCK Liam (Bel)
SEGAERT Alec (Bel)
DE BUYST Jasper (Bel)
GREGAARD Jonas (Den)
CRAPS Lars (Bel)

Movistar
CASTRILLO Pablo (Esp)
GARCÍA CORTINA Iván (Esp)
HESSMANN Michel (Ger)
ROMO Javier (Esp)
ARCAS Jorge (Esp)
CEPEDA Jefferson (Ecu)
CANAL Carlos (Esp)
Aular Orluis (Ven)

Picnic PostNL
KOERDT Bjorn (GBr)
EDDY Patrick (Aus)
HAMILTON Chris (Aus)
LEEMREIZE Gijs (Ned)
MARTINEZ Juan Guillermo (Col)
ROOSEN Timo (Ned)
VAN UDEN Casper (Ned)
VERMAERKE Kevin (USA)

Q36.5 Pro Cycling
PIDCOCK Tom (GBr)
DE LA CRUZ David (Esp)
ZUKOWSKY Nickolas (Can)
AZPARREN Xabier Mikel (Esp)
CAMPRUBÍ Marcel (Esp)
CHRISTEN Fabio (Sui)
GONZALÉZ David (Esp)
HOWSON Damien (Aus)

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
HINDLEY Jai (Aus)
VAN DIJKE Tim (Ned)
PELLIZZARI Giulio (Ita)
ALEOTTI Giovanni (Ita)
SOBRERO Matteo (Ita)
DENZ Nico (Ger)
FISHER-BLACK Finn (NZl)
ZWIEHOFF Ben (Ger)

T-Rex Quick-Step
LANDA Mikel (Esp)
VERVAEKE Louis (Bel)
PARET-PEINTRE Valentin (Fra)
REINDERINK Pepijn (Ned)
LECERF Junior (Bel)
GAROFOLI Gianmarco (Ita)
SCHACHMANN Maximilian (Ger)
VANSEVENANT Mauri (Bel)

UAE Team Emirates-XRG
ALMEIDA João (Por)
SOLER Marc (Esp)
VINE Jay (Aus)
OLIVEIRA Ivo (Por)
GROẞCHARTNER Felix (Aut)
AYUSO Juan (Esp)
NOVAK Domen (Slo)
Bjerg Mikkel (Den)

Visma-Lease a Bike
VINGEGAARD Jonas (Den)
JORGENSON Matteo (USA)
KUSS Sepp (USA)
CAMPENAERTS Victor (Bel)
TULETT Ben (GBr)
ZINGLE Axel (Fra)
KELDERMAN Wilco (Ned)
VAN BAARLE Dylan (Ned)

XDS Astana
HIGUITA Sergio (Col)
TEJADA Harold (Col)
LÓPEZ Harold Martín (Ecu)
FORTUNATO Lorenzo (Ita)
CONCI Nicola (Ita)
MASNADA Fausto (Ita)
VINOKOUROV Nicolas (Kaz)
POELS Wout (Ned)

The start of the Giro d’Italia is just five weeks away, but it already looks set to become a two-way scrap between Primož Roglič and Juan Ayuso, a clash of two of the sport’s biggest teams, UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Tadej Pogačar’s absence from the startlist has opened the door to a range of different riders looking to contest the race. However, Roglič and Ayuso are already pulling away from the competition after both making an exceptional start to the year.

The latter may have started his season later than the Slovenian, although he has already got 17 race days in the legs compared to Roglič’s 12 days of competition, picking up victories in both the Faun Drome Classic and Trofeo Laigueglia before sealing the overall win at Tirreno-Adriatico.

On paper, his start to the new campaign is impressive, particularly as that was then followed up with a second overall finish, victory in the youth classification and an individual stage win at the Volta a Catalunya. But Roglič, who is 13 years his senior, seemingly holds the upper hand and will have the cutting edge once the race gets underway as he goes in search of a second Giro title.

While he will have been undoubtedly disappointed with his low key start in Portugal, Roglič’s form coming out of Catalunya appears to be razor sharp and was underscored by his dominant performance on the final stage into Barcelona which he won convincingly to seal his overall triumph.

It is worth mentioning that Roglič emphatically winning week long stage races is nothing new - he has won 12 since beginning his career almost ten years ago - but his performance in Catalunya was a statement of intent and proof that despite being 35 he still has what it takes to dominate and perform at the highest level for a while longer yet.

It would have been easy to speculate and cast doubt on his ambitions for the Giro after he was bested by Ayuso on stage three at La Molina. The Slovenian simply never loses an uphill sprint, so much so that his trademark race-winning attack gained a name - Roglification. Many of the best GC riders currently competing on the men’s WorldTour have fallen afoul of such a move, although Ayuso took on the master at his own game in Catalunya.

Roglič’s final day showing blended tactical nous, outright force and clever race craft as he attacked from range to seal the win after hoovering up some of the mid-race bonus seconds on offer. "I had to do something. I always say that Catalunya is an honest race where the legs are talking. But I really didn't have a great feeling until the last stage," Roglič said afterwards before going on to warn that he felt the result "doesn't really influence the outcome of the Giro".

That may be so, but try telling that to the likes of Egan Bernal, Simon Yates and Richard Carapaz, three riders who will all be hoping to compete in Italy but who all finished more than a minute down on yours truly.

Anything can happen in the Corsa Rosa and the race can suddenly turn on its head - as proved by Chris Froome in 2018 - but recent showings have proved that Yates, Carapaz, Bernal, and the best of the rest are going to have their work cut out to get on the podium, let alone the top step which seems to be reserved for the two main protagonists in Spain.

Make no mistake, Roglič has the experience that age provides on his side, but Ayuso possesses the innocence of youth and, similarly to his famous UAE teammate, a burning desire to make a permanent mark on cycling by securing his first-ever Grand Tour victory.

The answer then, to "can anyone stop Primož Roglič or Juan Ayuso from winning the Giro d’Italia?", seems simple right now - probably not.

The staffing changes at Ineos Grenadiers have continued with head coach Xabier Artetxe confirming in a LinkedIn post that he has now left the team.

Artetxe coached both Egan Bernal and Carlos Rodríguez, working closely with the former after he arrived at Ineos in 2018, and was heavily involved in his victories at the 2019 Tour de France and 2021 Giro d’Italia. He also played an important role in Bernal’s rehabilitation after his serious crash during training at the start of 2022 in Colombia.

Prior to fracturing his collarbone at the Clásica Jaén in Spain earlier this week, Bernal highlighted the work of both Artetxe and an Ineos Grenadiers soigneur, Cristian Alonso, in helping him return to fitness after the 2022 incident.

Artetxe was reported to be on the move at the end of last season, with the news trickling through around the time of the departure of Steve Cummings from Ineos. But the Spaniard has now confirmed in a lengthy LinkedIn post that he will be moving on to new challenges.

"Everything comes to an end, and after years of hard work, discipline, successes, and failures, I am leaving the team that has helped me grow both personally and professionally," Artetxe wrote. "I want to express my deepest gratitude to Sir Dave Brailsford, Rod Ellingworth, Tim Kerrison, and Fran Millar for giving me the opportunity in 2014 to be part of the powerful Team Sky. Without the trust they placed in me, I would never have fulfilled many of my dreams."

"These have been ten incredible seasons in which the team has won five Tour de France titles, three Giro d'Italia titles, one Vuelta a España, several 'Monuments', as well as World Championships and Olympic medals in different disciplines,” he continued. "I also don't want to forget Nicolas Portal, who was always willing to help me from the very first day we met. We quickly connected and became more than just colleagues. His friendship and energy will always be with me."

As well as Bernal and Rodríguez, Artetxe also worked with the likes of Richard Carapaz before his move to EF Education-EasyPost. Artetxe thanked all the riders he had worked with during his ten year spell with Ineos and picked out some memorable moments, including the Ecuadorian's victory in the road race at the Tokyo Olympic games.

He added: "It is time to change goals and start new challenges and projects that I am very excited about. Challenges that will push me out of my comfort zone and help me improve, something that coaches should never forget. Don’t think I am leaving cycling behind; I will always remain connected to this sport because it has always been and always will be my passion."

In addition to the departures of both Artetxe and Cummings, Dan Bigham left Ineos last September to become Head of Engineering at another major WorldTour team, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe. Ineos announced a raft of changes to their performance staff in the autumn after a review had been carried out by performance director Dr Scott Drawer.

The team has enjoyed a successful start to the new season with Josh Tarling winning the individual time trial on stage two of the UAE Tour this week. This followed on from Michał Kwiatkowski winning the team’s first pro race in 226 days at Clásica Jaén on Monday. Ineos are also reportedly looking for a new second sponsor in order to aid their return to the top level of the sport.

Ineos Grenadiers were contacted for comment in relation to this story.

Egan Bernal took his first victory since his 2022 horror crash on Thursday, winning the Colombian National Time Trial Championships in Bucaramanga. It was also Ineos Grenadiers' first victory since July 2024, 215 days ago.

Bernal, winner of the 2019 Tour de France and 2021 Giro d’Italia, was severely injured in a collision with a bus in Colombia in January 2022. He suffered extensive injuries, including multiple fractures and a punctured lung, and said shortly afterwards that the incident nearly killed him.

Bernal built back his fitness over the course of the last two seasons, and showed flashes of his former self last spring at several early season races. Writing on social media in the aftermath of Thursday's victory, Bernal admitted that he had considered finishing his career on several occasions after the crash.

"1347 days and a lot has happened since my last win, today NATIONAL TT CHAMPION," Bernal said. "I thought about retiring several times but one day I promised that if I won again, the first one would be dedicated to God for giving me a second chance at life. A lot of people are a part of this process and today I just want to say thank you."

Bernal beat his Ineos Grenadiers teammate, Brandon Rivera, to the Colombian title, completing the 42.2 kilometre course in 50:51, 29 seconds quicker than Rivera.

Last year Bernal showed signs that his competitive form was gradually returning, finishing on the podium at O Grand Camiño and the Volta a Catalunya in Spain. He was also fourth at the Tour de Suisse and impressed at Paris-Nice, finishing seventh overall.

Bernal’s victory in his home country this week was also his team's first win since Filippo Ganna won stage four of the Tour of Austria in July last year. Ineos endured their worst-ever season in 2024, finishing the campaign with just 14 wins.

It was recently revealed that the team is looking for a second sponsor in order to help them compete once more with the “super teams” of the sport.

First of all, I’d like to start this edition of Tweets of the Week with an apology.

Avid followers of the series, and fellow social media addicts, will have noticed that we failed to publish our usual round-up last week. This, of course, vastly undermines the ‘of the week’ part of the headline, and for that I am sorry.

In our defence though, the name of this series has had little integrity for a while now. Twitter hasn’t been called Twitter since last July, so ‘tweets’ have been old news for six months. We’ll update the name as soon as we can figure out something that rhymes with X.

Until then, and by way of apology, here is a bumper edition of the best posts from the last two weeks.

We’ve been blown away this week by the reaction to the news that Eurosport is closing down in the UK next month, and cycling is moving to the more expensive TNT Sports channel.

Like 100 Climbs author Simon Warren, who mourned Eurosport’s loss with a picture of a gravestone, I, too, will miss the channel – and not only because it’s going to make live cycling more than 300% dearer to watch.

No, believe it or not, I’m going to miss the snow sports. I used to complain to my friends that cycling – the best sport in the world – shared a TV channel with curling and ski jumping. But over time, I began to welcome the frost.

Often, I’d tune in 15 minutes early to the cycling coverage, just to catch a glimpse of the white glow. A competition in Planica? Don’t mind it I do. How about some slalom skiing? Absolutely. Biathlon, you say? Count me in.

I imagine these sports will also migrate to TNT, but it won’t be the same when the programming is diluted with rugby, football and boxing. Make cycling niche again, I say – if you'll excuse the Trumpian turn of phrase

Elsewhere on social media, Marianne Vos gets a post-race hose-down, Egan Bernal surprises some Colombian pubgoers, and Lachlan Morton sits on a throne of oat milk.

1. RIP Eurosport UK, you and your glorious snow sports will be missed

2. "You've got to believe me, I was just sat there enjoying my beer, and Egan Bernal clip clopped in. I swear it's true!"

3. At cyclo-cross races, bikes and humans are treated as equals, so it's jet washers all round

4. Lachlan Morton's new throne puts the OAT in GOAT

5. The cycling season doesn't begin until we've seen helicopter shots of kangaroos at the Tour Down Under

6. Have you ever seen anything more Australian than Luke Plapp's shoes?

7. On the topic of shoes, I believe the top left is called a 'shoey'

8. I can't tell if this looks more like a toddler drinking milk, or a uni student necking shots. Either way, it's not the most flattering angle of Tim Merlier

9. I present to you an 18-year-old Geraint Thomas

10. Who remembers the scooter guy from Opening Weekend last year? Well he's back, and now he's rightfully the poster star

11. Some say the most aero skinsuit you can wear is the one you were born in. Valtteri Bottas certainly agrees

12. And finally, I'll leave you with an existential conundrum that's been torturing me. Note here that Lucas Hamilton says his favourite food is "spag bog". It's definitely 'bol', right? Or have I been saying it wrong all these years?

A Pinarello Dogma F12 road bike, gifted to Pope Francis by Egan Bernal, has sold at auction for €14,000 (£11,995/$15,163).

The lot was estimated by experts to reach in the region of €25,000 (£21,417/$27,078) to €30,000 (£25,701/$32,494), but ended up going under the gavel at near retail price. 

A total of 47 bids were placed on the bike, with a French and an Italian bidder locked in a battle on Sunday night. The former ended up winning. 

The Pope received the bike as a present from Bernal in June 2021, following the Colombian’s Giro d’Italia victory. At the time, the Ineos Grenadiers rider said the duo’s meeting was "more important than winning the Giro and the Tour". 

"I think I’ve had many experiences in my life, but this is unique," said Bernal, who is a Catholic. "It’s the most beautiful experience I have had in my life." 

The gifted Pinarello is a size 53cm frame, adorned in the flag colours of Pope Francis’s native Argentina. It is equipped with a Shimano Ultegra groupset, Vision Wheels, Most Ultra Talon handlebars and rim brakes. 

Bernal also gave the Pontiff a signed Giro d’Italia maglia rosa, which sold at auction on Sunday for €1,853 (£1,587/$2,007) to a bidder in the US. 

Both lots were listed by a private seller on the Dutch online auction website Catawiki. In a statement, the site’s sports memorabilia expert, and former pro-cyclist, Ana Maria Covrig said the auction of the bike was a “remarkable moment” for Catawiki. 

The auction house has also recently sold a rainbow jersey, signed by Mathieu van der Poel, for €7,750 (£6,638/$8,394), one of Jonas Vingegaard’s helmets for €445 (£381/$482), and a Schleck edition 2012 Trek Madone bike for €2,250 (£1,927/$2,437). 

In 2020, a bike that three-time world champion Peter Sagan gave the Pope sold at auction for €30,000 (£25,701/$32,494). The Specialized Venge, coloured in the yellow and white of the Papal States, was signed by the Pope himself, “making it even more precious,” according to the listing.

Funds from the Venge sale went to supporting medical staff at two hospitals in Italy during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Ineos Grenadiers have opened the door to Egan Bernal competing in this summer’s Tour de France, after the race’s former winner recorded his best result yet since his life-threatening accident two years ago.

Colombian Bernal finished third at the Volta a Catalunya on Sunday, the first time he has climbed onto the podium of a WorldTour race since he crashed into the back of a bus in January 2022 in his native Colombia. His accident left him with a number of broken bones, including a fractured right femur, and doctors originally said he had a 95% chance of dying or being paralysed.

Remarkably, Bernal returned to racing just eight months later, and completed both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in 2023. At the start of this season, he has made an even greater step up in results, finishing in the top seven of the four stage races he has competed in. 

No performance, however, has been as notable as his ride to second place on stage six of Catalunya, which pushed him up third overall, a position he maintained during the final stage in Barcelona. He finished five minutes and three seconds behind overall race winner Tadej Pogačar.

Asked if this is the best version of himself since the crash, the 2021 Giro d’Italia winner said: “It’s difficult to say but now we can say that some of my numbers are the same or better than before my crash, but they’re not sufficient enough to win. Every day, and every year, I am improving, and my power is getting stronger.”

Ineos Grenadiers sports director Zak Dempster said that Bernal’s performances in the first few months of the season are an indication that he can return to his previous levels. “This is a guy who has won the Tour and the Giro, and if you go back to the Egan of before, going for a podium in the Volta a Catalunya was a normal thing,” he said.

“But he had a serious accident. There was a lot of physio, rehab, and it’s complicated getting back to race at this level. To be producing a performance like this is encouraging. He’s getting better and better.

“To speak frankly, he deserves to be with the best in the sport. He’s got the talent, the work ethic, and he’s an example for all riders. We are further away from the accident every day, and now he's in a place where he’s contending for a WorldTour podium. He deserves it and it’s where he should be.

“He can’t skip any steps and he’s gone about it all in a humble way. He is happy with where he is at, and he’s achieving his objective going into the race for a spot on the podium. But his ambition is a lot more than third in the Volta a Catalunya.”

Only three WorldTour riders have raced more in 2024 than Bernal, and his next race is expected to be the Tour de Romandie at the end of April. Is it now feasible that he can get back to winning top-tier events this season?

“In terms of putting a definitive goal on it, you hope everything is possible,” Dempster said. “I am quite sure he will get back to a very, very high level and be as competitive as he is today. He is getting better and we can start to become more ambitious I am sure.”

It was originally planned that Bernal’s only GrandTour this season would be the Vuelta, but the Tour has now emerged as a genuine possibility. “We have to sit down and take stock, to decide as a performance team what exactly is the best plan for him,” Dempster said.

“He is a critical guy for us so we need to have a good conversation about what is the best plan to have him competitive for us in the biggest races. So we’ll see after this race. Who knows [if he’ll go to the Tour]. We’ll have to see. Everything is possible.”

Bernal similarly refused to rule out competing in the Tour, telling the Spanish press that it “depends on how I am going. I’m approaching this season with motivation to continue to work. I can do good training and it’s allowing me to improve.” 

Less than three years after he received it as a present, Pope Francis’s special edition Pinarello has gone to auction. 

The bike, a Dogma F12, was gifted to the Pope by Egan Bernal following his Giro d’Italia victory in 2021. It is coloured in the national flag of the supreme pontiff’s native Argentina, and equipped with a Shimano Ultegra groupset. 

At the time of writing, the current bid on Dutch auction website Catawiki is just €2,000 (£1,710, $2,178). The auctioneers estimate that it will reach a sale price of up to €30,000 (£25,655, $32,671), more than twice the market value of a standard Dogma F12. 

When Bernal met the Pope in June 2021, he said the moment was “more important than winning the Giro and the Tour”. 

“I think I’ve had many experiences in my life, but this is unique,” said the Colombian, who is a Catholic. “It’s the most beautiful experience I have had in my life.” 

Alongside the bike, Bernal also gave the Pope a signed Giro d’Italia maglia rosa, size XS, which is also available on the auction site. He said the gifts were “from all Colombians because right now they need your blessing,” referring to social protests in his home country at the time.

In the auction listing for the Pinarello, Catawiki describes the bike as a “unique piece in the world, both for what it symbolizes and for its particular design”. The site’s sports memorabilia expert, Ana Maria Covrig, also a former pro cyclist, said it is a “privilege” to auction the item. “It is a truly remarkable moment for Catawiki,” she added. 

The Dogma F12 is a size 53cm frame, with Vision wheels, Pirelli P Zero tyres, and Most Talon Ultra handlebars. It is uncertain if the Pope has ever ridden the bike; however, the pristine state of the white bar tape suggests he has not. 

The auction ends this Sunday, 24 March, at 7pm CET (6pm GMT).  

Both the bike and the jersey are listed by a private seller, who has asked to remain anonymous. Cycling Weekly has contacted the Vatican for comment on when and why the bike left the Pope’s ownership. 

In 2020, a Specialized Venge given to Pope Francis by three-time world champion Peter Sagan was auctioned off for charity. It eventually sold for €30,000.

The race from the rain, through the sun, to the hail, to the rain. That was stage three of Paris-Nice in a nutshell. As the last few teams tore across the line in Auxerre, a hail storm erupted leaving already cold and wet bodies aching even further. 

Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel were both swaddled in towels, jackets and warm clothing by soigneurs as reporters watched on, hoping someone would take pity and hand them a towel to dry dictaphones and camera lenses. In the end, nobody did, and some were even removing sodden trainers as Brandon McNulty, the new race leader, walked into the post-stage press conference representing the stage three winners, UAE Team Emirates. 

Many were surprised to see Soudal Quick-Step finish 21 seconds down on UAE and Bora-Hansgrohe finish 54 seconds adrift. McNulty told the room of journalists and other media that he was equally as shocked and admitted that he felt the inclement weather towards the end of the stage had been decisive. 

"No not at all, but I think we were a bit lucky with the weather now," he said when asked if he was expecting such a time gap. "But in the end we’ll take what we can and you make your own luck there. But in the end, it's how it is and we will just enjoy this win.

"I think overall we had a good ride as a team. I mean, all things even, I think we would still be up there. But that's impossible to say in the end how much the weather really did affect us but I think we can be super proud of the way we rode, I think we executed it perfectly, did our pacing as we wanted so we're all proud of the way we rode today."

As well as McNulty in the race lead, UAE now have Finn Fisher Black, João Almeida and Jay Vine in second, third and fourth respectively. 

Reflecting on the team’s performance, McNulty talked through the improvements that UAE had made to its time trial equipment in recent months which he said had been integral on the course around Auxerre. 

"We had Nils [Politt] who was going to be our big guy on the flats and then the rest of us I think we're pretty even, we're all good time trialists," he explained. “So we really just had to push on the climbs and then stick together and use that to carry more speed on the fast ride home, which worked out perfectly."

"The team has developed a new frame, I guess two years ago now," he added. “And then we made the switch to the Enve wheels last year and the tires also to Continental. So all these things add up and are huge, especially nowadays with how tech. 

"Also our skin suit is super, super fast and precise. So it's really the whole package. So yeah, it's benefited the whole team."

With the TTT chalked off, the overall favourites will now inevitably be offensive as the race heads towards the slopes of Mont Brouilly for stage four. Evenepoel is now eighth overall, 18 seconds from the race lead, with Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) a further two seconds back in tenth. Meanwhile Primož Roglič lies almost a minute from the leader's jersey in 28th place. 

Given how the time trial played out, McNulty said he is expecting fireworks for the rest of the race as Evenepoel, Bernal and Roglič look to reassert their authority. 

“In the end it's nice to have a big gap but it also means that the race is going to be super difficult and aggressive," he said. "So we'll just have to be defensive and watch for attacks from the other teams. So we'll see, but it'll definitely be a hard race. I guess tomorrow on Mont Brouilly it'll be really tough and then when the weekend comes too.

“Tomorrow looks really difficult. I've seen some different things about the stage on Saturday with the weather and what not so I don't know what's going to happen there. Tomorrow, I think it will be one of the toughest stages of the week and then the final day in Nice is always chaos.” 

Ineos Grenadiers were left delighted by Egan Bernal’s late showing on stage one of Paris-Nice. 

The Colombian came across the line smiling after briefly igniting some minor general classification action on the opening stage, a punchy circuit around Les Mureaux which was won by Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike). 

"One stage less," he told Cycling Weekly post stage. "We’ll go through it stage by stage but keep our feet on the ground."

"We had a plan to move the race on that last climb," he later added in a video from his team. "We were in a good position and then when I saw the opportunity I just followed the guys. We tried to make the race hard and we did it."

Bonus seconds can prove to be crucial in Paris-Nice, as was shown by the top riders determination to attack to snap up what was on offer at the only intermediate sprint point of the day, a steep uphill drag at Montainville. 

Bernal accelerated on the 10% ramp, grabbing third behind Visma-Lease a Bike’s Matteo Jorgenson and Remco Evenepoel. Jorgenson was the first rider to jump but some of the overall race favourites were straight onto his wheel. Bernal was rewarded with two seconds for his efforts. 

However, perhaps more impressive was Bernal’s willingness to push on once the race hit the final climb of the day, the Côte d'Herbeville. The Colombian surged off the front of the main field to test his legs once more and was briefly joined by Evenepoel and Primož Roglič. 

The move was short lived, but showed that the Colombian is gradually regaining some confidence as he returns to WorldTour racing after a serious crash in 2022 which left him severely injured. A long period of rehabilitation followed before he eventually returned to racing action. 

The former Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner started the current season in strong form and took third overall at O Gran Camiño behind Jonas Vingegaard. 

Steve Cummings, head of racing at Ineos Grenadiers, told Cycling Weekly in Les Mureaux that simply having Bernal present at the race already felt like a victory.

"Obviously, it was a brutal, brutal accident," Cummings said as he reflected on Bernal's comeback. "It's worth looking back and reminding yourself about how bad it was. And then, since then, he's just steadily improved, step by step, and he continues to improve. So it's really good, I’m really happy. 

"I read something yesterday, like the first 40 hours, they weren't sure if he was going to walk and all of this kind of stuff. So it's incredible, really, just to have him at the race and then to see he keeps improving, it feels like a victory every day to be honest."

"He's a really special character in that way as well," he added. "Very resilient. gritty, happy and a very good person."

Paris-Nice continues on Monday with an opportunity for the sprinters. Stage two is a flat 179 kilometre run between Thoiry and Montargis. 

Egan Bernal may well have accidentally revealed Ineos Grenadiers’ new kit for the 2024 season over the weekend. 

The Colombian shared an image of a new jersey on his Instagram story before swiftly removing it from his profile. The jersey was clearly different from that which Ineos wore in the 2023 season and was manufactured by Bioracer. 

Cycling Weekly learned on Monday afternoon that Bioracer has parted ways with Ineos Grenadiers bringing an end to the brand's two year association with the British team. 

A spokesperson for the brand confirmed that it was an amicable decision between the two parties. 

It's understood that Bioracer has scaled back its sponsorship commitments due to a downturn in the cycling industry following the Covid pandemic.

New kit launches are a big deal for all of the major WorldTour teams and often occur in the pre-Christmas period. 

Bernal’s story appeared to come from an event at which he was present. It showed his Pinarello Dogma race bike leaning against a poster on a stand which featured an image of the former Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion. 

Despite Bernal deleting the story from his Instagram profile, screenshots had already begun to circulate online. 

Although more noticeable was the orange jersey hanging from the bike's saddle which clearly featured the logo of the Spanish kit supplier Gobik. The jersey lacked the same diamond pattern on the sleeves which  featured on their 2023 Bioracer supplied kit and instead featured a vertical fade with blue tint. 

Ineos Grenadiers has not yet announced a new kit deal with Gobik, nor that the team has parted ways with the Belgian brand Bioracer. Gobik supplied the Movistar team with kit for the 2023 season. 

Ineos have worn Bioracer kits for the last two seasons and previously wore kits made by Italian giants Castelli as well as Rapha. 

When the team's deal with Bioracer was announced, Dave Brailsford said: "We share a common sense of adventure, a desire to innovate and do things differently, but above all we have a passion for cycling and racing."

When approached by Cycling Weekly in relation to the team parting ways with Bioracer Ineos Grenadiers said 'no comment'.

A well-informed source told Cyclingnews that Gobik would work with Ineos Grenadiers. A report from Wielerflits also stated similar. 

Meanwhile it was recently confirmed that Ineos deputy team principal Rod Ellingworth had resigned from his post on the team. 

The 51-year-old, who was involved in the original set up of Team Sky in 2009, was largely in charge of the Ineos cycling project from 2021.

Egan Bernal will head to his first Tour de France since his life-threatening crash "ambitious" but "realistic" for what he can achieve, according to his Ineos Grenadiers team boss.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Ineos deputy team principle Rod Ellingworth confirmed that Bernal would be targeting general classification on his return to the biggest stage, but cautioned realism.

The Colombian broke 20 bones, as well as both his lungs collapsing, after colliding with a bus during training at the beginning of 2022. He had to undergo seven surgeries, including two on his spine; he said at the time that the accident left him with a  "95 per cent chance" of becoming paralysed.

"Egan being Egan, he's very ambitious, but he's also very realistic with what he can achieve. He wants to keep pushing himself," Ellingworth explained. "I think we know Egan is a proven winner. He's a fantastic role model for us and a road captain in a sense. 

"We were really open and very happy to give him this opportunity to see what he can do. He's certainly going to try on GC. As I said, he's very realistic, let's not pretend anything different. He just wants to GC. For him, it's just that next step of hopefully getting back to where he wants to be. He has a good head on his shoulders."

Bernal is one of five Spanish-speakers in the Ineos squad, with Carlos Rodríguez, Omar Fraile, Jonathan Castroviejo and Dani Martínez. These five are heading to Bilbao alongside Michał Kwiatkowski, Tom Pidcock and Ben Turner. Rodríguez will also target GC.

"I think for him [Bernal] racing with Tom and all the guys, there's such experience in the group and it's going to be a really good experience to race with Egan," Ellingworth said.

The 26-year-old finished eighth overall at the Tour de Romandie earlier in 2023, and followed this up with 12th at the Critérium du Dauphiné, his highest WorldTour GC results since the crash.

For another rider, there might be an element of anxiety over returning to cycling's biggest race, but Bernal appears to be ready for the experience.

"I think this is where this guy surprises me every day, he was right up for racing it," Ellingworth said. "As I've said all along, we've just kept the door wide open for Egan. He deserves the opportunity. He has a couple of falls since and shown how robust he is. 

"He's right up for it, he puts himself in the right place in the peloton every time. Mentally, I don't see any difference with the guy at all. If anything, it has made him stronger. He has had this major moment, which had made him a more rounded athlete. He is learning new things."

Ellingworth was realistic about Ineos' chances on GC at this race, with the Tour debutant Rodríguez and the returning Bernal leading the line against the dominant Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

"As a team, our ambition is still that we want to win the Tour again," he said. "This year we've selected a group of bike riders from a tactical point of view. They're all very agile, they're all proven winners. 

"We've got to be very realistic with where we are at this given time. We've got two guys, in particular, who we want to play that GC role with. Let's see where they get to. Then we have the whole group which is capable of winning stages."

Egan Bernal is one of Colombian cycling's most talented exports. Born in the capital city of Bogotá, he was raised in nearby Zipaquirá, and today stands as the only person from his country to have ever won the Tour de France, doing so in the 2019 edition.

Bernal's Grand Tour successes continued in 2021, when he earned himself the Giro d'Italia's maglia rosa, taking two stage wins in the process.

A life-threatening crash the following year halted the Colombian's rapid development, but he is now back on the road, and has looked better every season since.

Here are 21 things you didn't know about the 'Condor of Zipaquirá'.

1. His father, Germán, was a cyclist, although not at a professional level, and used to take him out on weekend rides when he was a child.

2. He entered his first race when he was eight years old, and had to borrow a helmet, since he didn't have one. "It was huge on me," he told VeloNews. "It was so big it came down around my eyes and I couldn’t see. In the end, I won — but I couldn’t see anything and I didn’t even know the race was over." He also wore football shorts and a sweatshirt.

3. As a prize for winning his first race, Bernal was given cycling kit, free membership of the local institute of recreation and sports, and coaching. Thus his journey in cycling began.

4. He initially focused on mountain biking, collecting a silver and a bronze medal in the junior cross country events at the 2014 and 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

5. Before signing his first pro contract, Bernal underwent laboratory tests which revealed his VO2 max to be 88.8ml/kg/min, a very high reading, comparable to Grand Tour winners. Later tests would see his score rise into the 90s.

6. At the age of 19, he joined Italian Continental team Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec, bypassing the under-23 ranks and going straight to pro level.

7. He won the Tour de l'Avenir in 2017, following in the footsteps of Greg LeMond, Miguel Induráin and his compatriot Nairo Quintana.

8. He is the fourth youngest Tour de France winner of all time, claiming the yellow jersey aged 22 years and 196 days. Only François Faber (1887), Tadej Pogačar (2020) and Henri Cornet (1884) were younger.

9. Bernal is an ambassador of Colombian beer brand Cerveza Andina, who released a limited edition lager, 'La Egandina', after he won the Giro d'Italia in 2021.

10. He suffered "serious facial trauma" in a crash at the 2018 Clásica San Sebastián, with scans revealing a nasal fracture and a small bleed to the brain.

11. Four years later, he underwent nose surgery to treat a deviated septum and improve the passage of air.

12. The Colombian was involved in a life-threatening training ride crash on 24 January 2022, cycling into the back of a stationary bus at 62km/h. He was left with 20 fractures, underwent two round of spinal surgery, and later revealed that he had a 95% chance of becoming a paraplegic.

13. Bernal launched his own cycling squad in 2022, called the EB Project, to help nurture young talents in his native Colombia.

14. He has a younger brother, Ronald, who is eight years his junior and is also a cyclist.

15. As an infant, Bernal suffered bouts of illness. "I had lung problems and I was often ill," he told Matt Rendell, author of Colombia Es Pasión!. "[My mother] was always taking me to the doctor."

16. When he was younger, Bernal used to help his mother, a flower factory worker, by selling bouquets door-to-door in their neighbourhood.

17. He is a catholic, and described meeting the Pope in 2021 as "the most beautiful experience I have had in my life".

18. Bernal gifted the Pope a Giro d'Italia maglia rosa and a custom-painted Pinarello Dogma, adorned in the colours of the pontiff's native Argentina.

19. He studied journalism for one semester at the Universidad de La Sabana, north of Bogotá, before opting to pursue bike racing.

20. If Bernal wasn't a cyclist, he might be a political journalist, according to Ineos Grenadiers sports director Oliver Cookson. “He seems to have a wise head on his shoulders,” Cookson told VeloNews in 2018.

21. The Colombian is engaged in politics, and endorsed the centre-right candidate Federico 'Fico' Gutiérrez in his country's 2022 presidential elections.

Big news on a cold Thursday morning: it is officially 100 days until the Tour de France. Now I know most of you already knew this, tearing off page after page from your Christian Prudhomme-themed Tour countdown calendar, but for those that didn't, there is your big news. Just a century of days until the peloton rolls out of Bilbao on Saturday 1 July.

Therefore, we thought this would be the perfect time to assess the runners and riders that will likely take to the start line of the 110th edition of the race, all of whom will harbour some hope of pulling on the yellow jersey 23 days later in Paris. This is the Cycling Weekly power list.

There are three former winners on this list, although one of the trio is at a very different stage of their career from the others. There is also a Tour de France debutant, alongside the next great hope of French cycling.

These are seven riders assumed to be riding the Tour - the Giro d'Italia has taken away some of the world's top cyclists - but we will update this in the months leading up to the biggest race of all as form becomes clear, and start lists too. 

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Age: 24
Nationality: Slovenian
Tour de France appearances: 3
Tour de France overall wins: 2
Tour de France stage wins: 9
Best GC position: 1st

Almost indisputably the best bike rider in the world, Tadej Pogačar has started his 2023 season as he means to go on. The UAE Team Emirates rider has won nine times, including a very impressive performance at Paris-Nice which saw him win three out of seven stages on the way to overall victory.

2022 saw Pogačar not win the Tour de France for the first time, as he missed out to his biggest rival, Jonas Vingegaard. This year he is looking to bounce back, and already started that by comprehensively beating Vingegaard at Paris-Nice, but there is a long way and and a lot of racing to go until Bilbao.

The Slovenian's calendar is busier than his other rivals, due to his class in one-day racing; he will compete at the Tour of Flanders next weekend. This is not necessarily a red flag, but the addition of some Classics to his schedule might mean more of a risk of accident and injury. However, the supremely-skilled bike handler will probably be fine.

If his form keeps up, Pogačar will be the one to beat for a third year in a row.

2. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)

Age: 26
Nationality: Danish
Tour de France appearances: 2
Tour de France overall wins: 1
Tour de France stage wins: 2
Best GC position: 1st

The reigning Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard, will be the man with "1" on his back in Bilbao, and will have a target on him too, as his rivals seek to surmount the man who seemed unbeatable last July.

The Dane is less of a serial winner than Pogačar, but that will not matter once the two compete on the roads of Spain and France this summer; his Jumbo-Visma team insists that he is going in the right direction and that everything points towards Paris.

His failure to land a blow on Pogačar at Paris-Nice is not a disaster, but it cannot help his morale that he was overcome, even if it was in the less crucial March and not July. The way he cracked on stage four is a cause for concern.

Ultimately, though, Vingegaard managed his whole 2022 season around peaking at the Tour, and will hope to do the same again this year. A difficult one to predict.

3. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)

Age: 26
Nationality: French
Tour de France appearances: 5
Tour de France overall wins: 0
Tour de France stage wins: 0
Best GC position: 4th

Is this the year for David Gaudu and France? Whisper it quietly, but... maybe. 

At Paris-Nice, the 26-year-old took a big step forward, finishing on the podium in the starry company of Pogačar and Vingegaard. This was his second WorldTour podium, after the UAE Tour in 2019, and his first in Europe, the first that one feels really matters.

It was not just the result which impressed, but the manner with which Gaudu rode. He was able to attack on stage four to La Loge des Gardes, even if he was eventually beaten by Pogačar, and on stage seven to the Col de la Couillole, he was the only rider able to follow the Slovenian, and again finished second.

At last year's Tour, Gaudu finished fourth, a stellar result, but he was six minutes off Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) in third, and 11 minutes behind Pogačar in second. This year, it feels like something has changed.

Podium potential, and maybe more. Just maybe.

4. Enric Mas (Movistar)

Age: 28
Nationality: Spanish
Tour de France appearances: 4
Tour de France overall wins: 0
Tour de France stage wins: 0
Best GC position: 5th

The idea that Enric Mas is one of the best Grand Tour riders in the peloton seems a bit odd, but it's true. The Movistar rider has finished second at the Vuelta a España three times, and has twice finished in the top ten at the Tour de France.

Solid if unspectacular, the Spaniard is one of the best placed to take advantage should one of the above blow up or crash out, and should never be discounted for sneaking onto the podium. 

It is his ability against the top, top riders that are under question, however, with his ability to make it count against the likes of Pogačar or Vingegaard unknown at best.

His start to 2023 has again been solid, with top tens at both the Ruta del Sol and Tirreno-Adriatico setting him up well, but he is yet to properly make his mark.

5. Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Age: 26
Nationality: Australian
Tour de France appearances: 0
Tour de France overall wins: 0
Tour de France stage wins: 0
Best GC position: n/a

The reigning Giro d'Italia champion heads north (well, west) to take on the Tour de France for the first time, in his sixth year as a professional. It will be some baptism of fire for the Australian, but he will feel ready for the big challenge.

At the Giro last year Hindley successfully saw off Richard Carapaz, Mikel Landa and Vincenzo Nibali, but the level at the Tour will be a big step up, and it will be interesting how he matches up against the big two at the top of this list.

The makeup of his Bora-Hansgrohe team will be intriguing; if Sam Bennett and a leadout man are included in the eight-rider squad, then it might squeeze out domestiques there to help Hindley out. 

So far this year he has failed to sparkle, but has instead eased into the season. Fourth place on stage three of the Volta a Catalunya on Wednesday might point to things to come, however.

6. Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën)

Age: 27
Nationality: Australian
Tour de France appearances: 2
Tour de France overall wins: 0
Tour de France stage wins: 1
Best GC position: 4th

Not just the second consecutive Australian on this list, but the second man from Perth, Ben O'Connor will be hoping his third crack at the Tour de France goes better than his second - last year ended in abandonment after a series of crashes early in the race.

Instead, he will hope to recapture the form which led him to fourth place in 2021, a result that really put him on the map of contenders for the overall at Grand Tours.

Third place at the Critérium du Dauphiné and eighth place at the Vuelta a España last year meant 2022 was not a disappointment, and O'Connor is firmly a man for the top ten, but can he go higher?

2023 has been reasonably quiet so far, with sixth place on GC at the Tour Down Under followed by 13th at Tirreno-Adriatico, but the 27-year-old could be building slowly.

7. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)

Age: 26
Nationality: Colombian
Tour de France appearances: 3
Tour de France overall wins: 1
Tour de France stage wins: 0

Where to begin with Egan Bernal? One of the three former Tour de France champions on this list, one of only two to have won multiple Grand Tours, the man who was supposed to be the biggest thing in cycling ever.

The problems did not begin with his horrendous training crash last year, but that is the root of his biggest issues at the moment. Bernal could have died after colliding with a bus while training in Colombia at the beginning of 2022, and the fact he is even riding a bike at all is remarkable, let alone racing at the top end.

His Ineos Grenadiers team are being tight-lipped about his chances of riding the Tour, but the truth is, they don't have too many other standout options to make a tilt at GC in July. Would it be too much to expect Bernal to be thrown in and compete? Yes, probably, but we do not know where he will be at come July. If he can just recapture just an ounce of the form that saw him win the Tour and Giro, then it might just be a magical three weeks for him.

Five more Tour de France GC contenders

It's pretty arbitrary to set these riders away from the seven above, and it seems harsh to place Bernal above some of the next names, but this is an arbitrary ranking.

Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) is set to make his sixth appearance at the Tour de France this summer, a race he won two stages at in 2019, and finished seventh at in 2017. The man from Bury is a Vuelta a España winner and so should be treated with caution by the others. Second at the Tour Down Under and fourth at Paris-Nice hinted at being in a good place this year.

The last great hope of French cycling before Gaudu, Romain Bardet (DSM) will line up for his tenth Tour, six years after his last podium finish at the Grand Tour. He looked to be flying in 2022 before illness upset his Giro d'Italia challenge, so he will be hoping to regain that form before July. He finished sixth last year, too, which is nothing to be sniffed at.

Another French top 10 contender is Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), who always seems to be there, without ever threatening the highest step. The 29-year-old is yet to make a mark on this season, but he will definitely be among the group of leaders at the Tour.

At a new team, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) might just find the same legs which led him to Giro d'Italia glory in 2019. Looking pretty in pink yellow, blue, and red, the Ecuadorean will have the support of Rigoberto Urán at the Tour, with the South American pair hoping to forge a new GC partnership at the race.

Dani Martínez (Ineos Grenadiers) is the British squad's other Colombian GC option. He is a definite top ten option, but does not seem to match up when the likes of Pogačar or Vingegaard are brought into play.

Egan Bernal will return to racing in Europe at the end of March, after a knee injury disrupted the start of his 2023 campaign. 

According to a report from Cyclingnews, the Ineos man is set to race either the Volta a Catalunya or the Settimana Coppi e Bartali, depending on his form. 

Bernal has made a remarkable recovery after a horrendous training crash last year, but Ineos are hesitant to place too much expectation on his shoulders. He does not have a guaranteed place in the team's Tour de France squad this summer. 

“Egan will be back in Europe pretty soon and so hopefully, he'll be racing at the end of the month,” Ineos Grenadiers team manager Rod Ellingworth said. 

“He's obviously been a bit frustrated but we're supporting him. It's been reported that he’s had a knee niggle, which has nothing to do with the crash or the accident from last year. Egan's eager to race but often with these guys, you’ve got to hold him back.”

Bernal has been one of the team's most successful riders in recent years, winning both the Tour in 2019 and Giro d'Italia in 2021. However, the troublesome knee injury- first reported at the Vuelta a San Juan- has meant Ineos have looked to protect the Colombian. 

Ellingworth explained that even though the team are looking to be cautious with Bernal, the door is “completely wide open” for his Tour inclusion. 

“What we know about Egan and what you could see last year, is that he's still prepared to put in the hard work for the team if he's the leader or not a leader. He's a bit like Geraint Thomas in that sense. They're great role models for the younger guys,” Ellingworth added.

“If Egan was fit enough, why would you not take him to the Tour for his experience and for the help he can give the team. The door’s completely wide open and the Tour is still four months away.”

Last year, Ineos Grenadiers failed to win any of the Grand Tours for the first time since 2014. During the off-season, they have brought in promising riders such as Thymens Arensman from DSM, but the likes of Arensman will need time to develop before they can become Grand Tour podium contenders. 

Bernal’s injuries have left the team without a true Grand Tour contender, although Geraint Thomas still achieved third place at the Tour behind Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar last year. Ineos have previously said that Colombian rider Dani Martinez and Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez will be two of their protected riders at this year’s edition.

“I don't think it's possible to win the Tour all the time,” Ellingworth concluded.

“Dani Martínez and maybe Carlos Rodriguez will be getting their opportunity at the Tour. I think it's an ideal Tour for Dani this year and he's still he's growing and improving.

“I think he's a really exciting bike rider, who just never gives up. He impressed at the Volta ao Algarve time trial this year to win the race, and again at the Tour de Suisse last year. I'm quite excited about Dani and what he could do at the Tour.”

Egan Bernal will not ride Paris-Nice next week, as a knee injury he picked up in January continues to force him out of action.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider fell on his knee at the Vuelta a San Juan early in 2023, which stopped him from riding the Volta ao Algarve. It was thought that he would be back for a big showdown with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard at Paris-Nice next weekend, but that is now not happening.

Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Rod Ellingworth, Ineos' deputy team principal, said that there are "no concerns" but couldn't put a date on the Colombian returning to action.

"Unfortunately, he had a fall at San Juan, landed on his knee, nothing to do with the accident last year," Ellingworth explained. "But like anything, these things take a bit of time, you can't put a time frame on it, but he's doing well, he's disappointed not to be racing at the moment. One thing with Egan is that you've got to hold him back, cos he's an ambitious guy like all of these lads. We can't ask anything more of Egan up to this point, really.

"No, he won't ride Paris-Nice. We're not sure when he will race next, yet, but he's OK."

Bernal was left almost paralysed in 2022 after colliding with a bus during time trial training on his home roads last January.

It left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs that he suffered in the incident. He said last year that still being alive is like being "born again", that he was given a "second chance", and that the accident had left him with a  "95 per cent chance" of becoming paralysed.

As a result, he did not ride much in 2022, but returned to racing at San Juan this year, before suffering the latest setback.

Bernal is thought top be aiming for the Tour de France this summer; Ineos Grenadiers look light on a definitive leader without the man who won in 2019. However, every missed race makes it all the more doubtful that he can hit top form by July.

Ellingworth admitted that the team were without an "out-and-out" favourite for a Grand Tour this year; in 2022 the team did not win a Grand Tour for the first time since 2014.

"We've got a strong bunch of riders, of course we didn't win a Grand Tour last year, and the competition is strong," he said. "It has made us roll up our sleeves, look up all the different areas we want to improve on. With people like Geraint [Thomas] in the team, who bring a lot of experience, we need to tap into that. 

"We also need to balance that with the younger guys who are developing into those roles. It's all about development, moving on, and taking these races head on. The competition's high, we're not going in with an out-and-out favourite, but the lads will certainly be competitive and ready."

Egan Bernal has had nose surgery ahead of the 2023 season, in order to improve the "passage of air".

The Ineos Grenadiers rider has been pictured with plasters on his nose in recent weeks, and Colombian media, followed by VeloNews, reported that doctors had confirmed that he had received an operation to treat a deviated septum in December.

It is not thought to be connected to the horror crash which the Colombian was involved in last January; Bernal was left almost paralysed after colliding with a bus during time trial training on his home roads.

It left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs that he suffered in the incident. He said last year that still being alive is like being "born again", that he was given a "second chance", and that the accident had left him with a  "95 per cent chance" of becoming paralysed.

Doctors in Colombia said that the septoplasty, which is designed to “facilitate the passage of air through the nose", was linked to other incidents earlier in his career. 

In 2018 Bernal required surgery to repair a split top lip and reduce a nasal fracture after crash during the Clásica San Sebastián, at the time he also had a small bleed on the brain, such was the impact of the crash. He also needed dental surgery to repair missing, broken and fractured teeth.

The Colombian turns 26 in January, and will look to get his career back on track after last year's injury-affected season.

The Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner did not race in 2022 until August, completing four stages of the Tour of Denmark and then three at the Deutschland Tour, before taking part in a couple of small end-of-year Italian one-day races.

Bernal has not won a race since the 2021 Giro, where he won two stages on his way to comprehensive overall victory. Given the success of Remco Evenepoel, Jai Hindley and Jonas Vingegaard at Grand Tours since then, the landscape of road racing has altered since he was considered one of the top three stage racers.

His programme for next season is unknown as yet, although it is thought he will ride the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina to kick things off; with Geraint Thomas targeting the Giro in May, the 25-year-old might focus on the Tour or the Vuelta a España instead.

Egan Bernal is set to begin his 2023 campaign at the Vuelta a San Juan race in Argentina as he aims for a Tour de France return. 

Bernal hasn’t appeared at the Tour in three years, and the Ineos Grenadiers superstar missed most of the 2022 season after sustaining horrendous injuries in a training crash in Colombia in January. 

Ineos Grenadiers have already confirmed that Filippo Ganna will compete in the Vuelta a San Juan in January, and the team now plan for Bernal to join the Italian in their line up for the stage race. 

After such a long period out of action with injury, it’s understood that Ineos are aiming for the Colombian to ride plenty of stage races at the turn of the year to get into a “race rhythm” before the Tour in July. 

According to a report by Cyclingnews, Ineos sports director Matteo Tossatto told La Gazzetta dello Sport that Bernal will make their line up for the race in Argentina in order to build endurance after his long layoff. 

“Egan needs to build endurance and get some race rhythm, so I foresee some short stage races of five or six days to build up again: like Algarve, Ruta del Sol, Valenciana or the UAE Tour,” Tossatto said. 

After the horrific crash with a bus in January, Bernal spent a fortnight in intensive care receiving treatment for a multitude of injuries which included fractured vertebrae, a fractured right femur and a punctured lung amongst other things. 

Later in the year the former Giro d’Italia and Tour de France winner briefly returned to racing action at the Tour of Denmark followed by the Deutschland Tour. However he then was forced to end his comeback for a routine knee operation in order ensure that he can begin 2023 pain free. 

According to the Italian daily, post surgery he attended Ineos planned training camp in Nice in mid-October before returning to South America for a scheduled holiday in Peru. Bernal will return to Europe for a scheduled team training camp in Mallorca in December. 

In Nice, he said to me: ‘I can start the season like I’ve always done, like a real rider, and not like an injured rider thinking about the pain he feels. I want to get back to who I was before” Tosatto added. 

Bernal’s full racing calendar for 2023 is still unknown but races such as Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico could feature in his early year plans. 

“For the full programme, we’ll have to see how he goes in Spring,” Tosatto concluded.

They say when you're winning everyone wants to be your friend. Certainly that seems to be the case for newly crowned World Champion Remco Evenepoel.

In recent weeks, a tug of war over his signature, already on a Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl contract until the end of 2026, has emerged. 

It all started when VeloNews  reported the team principal of Ineos Grenadiers, Dave Brailsford, sent a text message to Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere in the wake of the Belgians World Championship victory, which read: “If one day you want to sell him, give me a call.” 

That felt like it could be a case of cheeky banter being given unwarranted gravitas but at the weekend CyclingNews reported that Ineos Grenadiers have formulated an offer to Evenepoel and his father, which would see Evenepoel join the British outfit as a Grand Tour team leader. In that same report Lefevere said believes he has a watertight long-term contract with the Belgian and threatened a long and costly legal fight if a move for the Belgian was to progress further. 

If the transfer were to happen, it would see the British team pull off a audacious Real Madrid style stunt bagging one of cycling's “galacticos”. 

But while such a leap might be great for Evenepoel's bank balance (Lefevere hinted it'd be a serious an uplift in his salary) it would risk turning a star into just another blink in a constellation just as it's brightness is in the ascendency.

For Ineos the upside is obvious. Evenepoel’s 2022 success, which has seen him bag a Liège–Bastogne–Liège victory, a second Clásica San Sebastián title and a first-ever Grand Tour title with his Vuelta a España win and a World Championship win would be a fillip to a squad that has had a few misfires of late. Most notable is its inability to win a grand tour in 2022, the first time that has happened since 2014.

The Belgian would seem a natural plug-and-play replacement for Egan Bernal who's ability to recover from his severe injuries in a training crash in January this year is still in doubt.

But for Evenepoel the upside is less clear. His rise could be  interrupted if he was to depart “the Wolfpack” for the “Death Star” of the WorldTour. 

Evenepoel is still incredibly young, and has aspects of his riding that still need to be refined. Evenepoel has proven himself as being an outstanding climber on short, sharp punchy hills that feature in monuments and classics, although was caught out at times in the high mountains of the Vuelta. 

Granted, he still held on for an impressive victory in Spain but with Primož Roglič crashing out the 2022 Vuelta a España also featured a weaker field than the other two Grand Tours of the year. No doubt Ineos has the technical expertise to help him do that but if they see him as a immediate leader would he be given the space to improve this aspect of his riding?

At Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Evenepoel is the main man. Other than former World Champion Julian Alaphilippe, the team lacks any other Grand Tour high fliers capable of mounting general classification challenges in France, Spain and Italy in years to come. Mattia Cattaneo finished 12th for the team at the 2021 Tour de France, but they weren’t able to better that at the 2022 edition with no riders finishing within the top 20. 

In contrast Ineos currently possess Bernal, Dani Martinez and Geraint Thomas who are all capable of Grand Tour victory as well as British stars of the likes of Ethan Hayter and Tom Pidcock who are likely the future of the team. 

In an Ineos jersey, Evenepoel would quickly become just another piece added to the stockpile. The team has found scant success fielding teams with multiple leaders in recent years. Richard Carapaz’s move from Movistar to the British team never really took off and should serve as a warning to Evenepoel that the grass is not always greener. 

Although Quick-Step lack Ineos's financial power, Patrick Lefevere is well known for his shrewd signings. Evenepoel can sacrifice 2023 to his own development without a stellar support cast, and possible still win another grand tour, safe in the knowledge his boss has a strong incentive to secure two or three world class domestiques in the mould of Wout Poels of Bahrain Victorious for 2024.

With riders like that on board, along with Alaphilippe, Asgreen, Remi Cavagna and Tim de Clerq, Quick-Step would suddenly have a team that looked capable of challenging Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates in France in July. 

While you could say the same for Ineos, competing GC campaigns may see any strong domestiques directed to other races or certainly the resources split. At Quick-Step he is likely to have more influence on who they are and they need fewer pieces to build a winning squad of eight riders.

Plus, when he arrives in France one July who will be better equipped to counter the free-wheeling attacking spirit of Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard? Ineos have been a more flamboyant racing machine of late, but it is difficult to argue that the more naturally aggressive "Wolfpack" doesn't represent a better fit of his talents and a better insight into his likely rivals.

Evenepoel might have to settle for a smaller salary at Quick-Step, although there is a reason Mark Cavendish returned to the team after years away. The will to win and work ethic of the Belgian squad is unrivalled and ultimately Evenepoel’s future value will be measured by being part of that squad, not jumping ship for a larger paycheck now.  

Egan Bernal has ended his season with immediate effect to return to his native Colombia for knee surgery, according to reports.

In August the Colombian rider took a huge step in his comeback from injury competing in the Tour of Denmark and Deutschland Tour.

He was then due to start the 2022 Memorial Marco Pantani. That race was scheduled to take place last weekend but it was called off due to extreme weather conditions. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport reported this morning that the Ineos Grenadiers rider will now end his season to return to Colombia for a scheduled knee operation to continue to build for the 2023 season. 

In January while training at home in Colombia, the 25-year-old sustained multiple horrific injuries in a crash with a bus that saw him require seven individual operations to treat the 20 broken bones and collapsed lung that he suffered. 

Initial reports of the training ride crash stated that Bernal’s injuries could have resulted in the rider being paralysed. However just two months later the Ineos Grenadiers star climbed back into the saddle of his road bike and shared pictures celebrating the news on social media. 

In July prior to making a return to racing at the Tour of Denmark, Bernal took part in an altitude training camp in Andorra with several Ineos Grenadiers teammates. Alongside the 2021 Giro d’Italia winner, Pavel Sivakov, Laurens De Plus, Ethan Hayter and Carlos Rodriguez took part in the camp as the team built towards the recent Vuelta a España. 

Bernal was not part of the squad that rode the Spanish Grand Tour as he instead looked to regain racing experience at a series of smaller races. 

The Colombian superstar won the Giro d’Italia in 2021, takign two stage wins in the process to add to an already exceptional palmares that includes the Tour de France in 2019. 

Before his training crash at the start of 2022 the Colombian signed a new five-year deal with Ineos that will see him ride for the British outfit until the end of the 2026 season.

Egan Bernal is set to return to racing on Tuesday, lining up at the Tour of Denmark, just eight months after the training crash which almost left him paralysed.

Ineos Grenadiers confirmed that the Colombian would race for the first time in 2022 at the five-stage race which begins this week.

The 25-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries after he collided with a bus during training at home in January. After the severe crash, Bernal required seven separate operations to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs he suffered. 

In a statement released by his team on Monday afternoon, he thanked all of those who had supported him through his tough journey back, which has affected him physically and mentally.

“After what happened to me in January this has been the moment I’ve been waiting for – to race with my teammates again," Bernal said. "I can’t emphasise enough how hard the last eight months have been for me, both physically and mentally. That day, and the journey that I have been on since will be a part of me forever, it’s something you never forget. 
 
“As is the support that I have received from my family, my girlfriend, the team, Ineos as well as my fans. As humans we really rely on each other in our times of need, and this year has been a time of need for me - I can’t thank everyone who has been there for me enough. That support has been invaluable in motivating me every day to work hard to be able to race again. To you all, a heartfelt thank you."

There had been speculation that the 2020 Tour de France and 2021 Giro d'Italia winner would line up at the Vuelta a España for Ineos, but it was judged to be too early to rush the Colombian back into Grand Tour action. Instead, he will start the relatively lowkey Tour of Denmark.

Rod Ellingworth, Ineos' deputy team principal, said that Bernal's progress has been "incredible" and this was a milestone on a journey he is still on.

“When you think back to where Egan was only eight months ago it's incredible the progress he has made," Ellingworth said. "He’s shown the world the true strength of his character, and demonstrated remarkable grit in returning to race-readiness. We’re still on a journey with Egan, but lining up at the Tour of Denmark is a significant and hard-earned milestone.

"Egan’s long-term recovery has and continues to guide our medical and physical programme of support – our targets have always been performance-led not race-led, and the entire INEOS Grenadiers family is proud and delighted for Egan that his determination and application will now see him return to the race environment he has craved for so long."

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) comeback from injury is taking its next step with the Colombian training at an altitude training camp in Andorra.

In January while training at home in Colombia, Bernal sustained horrific injuries in a crash with a bus but is now firmly on the road to recovery. After the severe crash, Bernal required seven separate operations to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs he suffered. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport first reported the news of Bernal’s plans earlier this morning. Ineos Grenadiers have confirmed to Cycling Weekly that the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion will be joined in Andorra from tomorrow (5 July) by teammates, Pavel Sivakov, Laurens De Plus, Ethan Hayter and Carlos Rodriguez. 

After the training crash in January, initial reports stated that Bernal’s injuries could have paralysed him. But just two months after the incident, the Ineos Grenadiers rider climbed back onto his road bike and posted pictures celebrating the news on his social media. 

In a video released in April on the teams YouTube channel, the Colombian gave further insight into his return to the bike and how grateful he was for the messages of support sent his way. In the same video Bernal urged his fans to remain patient and suggested he will return to competition in due course. 

Ineos Grenadiers confirmed to Cycling Weekly that there is no return to racing planned for Bernal at the current time.  

The 25 year-old won the Giro d’Italia in 2021 to add a second grand-tour to his glittering palmarès. On his way to victory in Italy, Bernal took two stage wins to secure the maglia rosa and continue his rise to cycling stardom. 

Prior to the crash in January he signed a new five-year deal with Ineos Grenadiers, which will keep the Colombian at the team until the end of 2026. 

Egan Bernal has completed his first sprint on the bike in over five months, in the latest step in his remarkable recovery from injuries sustained in a training crash in January, which required seven surgeries. 

Sharing footage of his sprint on Twitter, Bernal emphasised that this is the first time he has completed a sprint with maximum effort since the January crash. 

The Colombian got out of the saddle for a brief period to obtain more purchase on his sprint up the mountain, highlighting the fact that he is slowly, but surely, returning to full fitness. 

"First sprint," Bernal wrote, with a tick emoji accompanying the words.

"Difficult does not mean impossible. It means that you are going to have to work hard."

Completing the ride in Monaco and southeast France, Bernal also posted his full effort to his Strava account. Stats reveal he completed 86km in three hours and 34 minutes, with 1,854 metres of climbing in total.

The 25-year-old achieved a maximum speed of 66kph during the ride, too, suggesting he didn't take it easy on the descents or on his sprint up the mountain.

Since being involved in a severe training crash at the end of January - which left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs - Bernal's speedy recovery has positively shocked fans. 

The Ineos Grenadiers rider has shared the progress of his recovery on his social media in the intervening months, documenting every milestone as he managed to walk unaided, get back on a stationary bike trainer, before finally completing a ride on the roads. 

However, at the end of April, Bernal urged his fans to remain patient, suggesting he will return to competition when he is fully fit. Despite the potential for Bernal to race in 2022, he remains realistic with his ambitions as he instead focuses on 2023.

"I want to ride all the races next year that I haven't been able to do this year," Bernal told reporters at the end of May. 

In the latest video documenting Egan Bernal's road to recovery, titled 'Egan Bernal: The Best Day of my Life', the Colombian offers further insight into his return to the bike and how grateful he is for all the support people have offered him, while also reflecting some more on the 60kmh crash he suffered in January. 

The behind-the-scenes video, posted to both Ineos Grenadiers' YouTube channel and shared on Bernal's Instagram page, briefly follows the 25-year-old in his home country, with particular focus on the Ride with Egan event. 

Bernal described the Zwift ride with fans he completed on April 2 as the best day of his life, suggesting it helped him rediscover his desire to return to professional racing as he was made to feel like a cyclist again.  

"The Ride with Egan event was really special," Bernal said, "because it was the first time I rode with the fans, with the people that followed me and wanted to know how I was. In some ways, that made me feel important for the team again. 

"I wanted to wear the team jersey again. I have always been proud wearing the Ineos kit and to do this event with them makes me feel like a cyclist again."

Continuing, Bernal urges his fans to remain patient, suggesting he will return to competition in due course - astounding considering the injuries he suffered just three months ago.

"There is more of Egan to come," Bernal said. "Wait for me, I'll be back racing soon."

Reflecting on his fateful crash, which left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs he suffered, Bernal reveals some harrowing details immediately proceeding the incident.

"The only feeling was of not being able to breathe," Bernal explained. "The doctor arrived and immediately worked on my femur.

"It was broken and there was a big haemorrhage so he had to put the femur back into place, right there, while I was still lying on the street. It was the worst pain I've ever felt, but that saved my life."

Consequently, the 25-year-old shares his gratitude in the video to everyone who has helped him miraculously recover so quickly since the crash. 

"All the people that were there for me, that saw me on the stretcher, that help me bear the pain, that spoon fed me, that even helped me go to the bathroom - all the amazing small things from people, I will remember them forever."

Egan Bernal has admitted the images he shares with followers on social media only highlights the positive parts of his recovery from his severe training crash, with the Colombian revealing he still lives in a lot of pain.

Bernal returned to his road bike for the first time last week, just two months on from the crash which left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs he suffered. He has been active on social media throughout his recovery period, sharing images of himself riding on Zwift and more recently on the roads of his home country.

However, speaking to international media, Bernal made clear that his recovery hasn't been as plain sailing as it might appear on social media.

He said: “Being back on the bike after just a few months is more than anyone expected, but what everyone has to remember that you what you post on social media are the good, positive things. But I’ve had many painful nights and times where I can’t do much."

On Saturday April 2, Bernal offered fans the opportunity to virtually cycle with him for a 60-minute Zwift ride as a way to say 'thank you' for their support. The 25-year-old claims this support has provided him with extra motivation to try and return to racing as soon as possible, though he obviously isn't placing too much pressure on himself by signalling a return date.

For Bernal, simply being able to ride once again is a cause for celebration - anything thereafter is a bonus. This represents what Bernal sees as a positive shift in his priorities.

"The accident allowed me to see things from a different perspective," he explained. "Before, I was only focused on cycling and being the best rider in the world. But the real priority in life is to feel good and be able to be with those who love us."

His Ineos Grenadiers team also aren't placing pressure on his return, something Bernal feels is actually helping with his recovery. However, while Bernal clarifies he won't push himself too quickly too soon, there is still a sense of eagerness to get back to racing.

“I don’t know when I’ll be able to compete – there’s no rush to decide yet. I just need to listen to my body and make sure that when I do come back that I’m in the best form I can be. But there’s no rush.

“The team has given me a lot of support. Everyone has told me to take my time and recover slowly. Dave Brailsford [general manager] and Jim Ratcliffe [Ineos CEO and chariman] have both messaged me regularly, telling me to take the time I need. It’s important that I don’t feel pressure and that’s made me feel calmer about everything.

“But I’m going to do everything I can to come back, not necessarily to win straight away – though that will be the goal at some point. But I will come back with more motivation to race than I ever have before. Just finishing a race again will be a success to me."

Egan Bernal will be doing a 'Ride with Egan' Zwift ride on Saturday April 2, giving fans the opportunity to virtually cycle with him in a mass participation group ride on the platform. 

Since Bernal suffered a severe crash in January, which left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs he suffered in the incident, cycling fans have inundated him with support during his recovery. 

In order to show his appreciation for all of the messages and motivation he received, Bernal will ride with fans around Watopia's Beach Island Loop for 60 minutes. Anyone can sign up for the Ride with Egan on Zwift, with all participants also getting the opportunity to ride in the British team's Bioracer kit and on the Pinarello Dogma F in-game.

Starting at 4pm BST, 10am Colombia Standard Time, Bernal wants to ride along with fans virtually before he can see them all back at races in person.

He said: “This has been, and still is, the biggest challenge I’ve ever had to deal with in life, and to be able to be back on my bike already so soon after my accident is something that I have been dreaming about for the last few weeks. I can’t describe how happy it has made me. 

"But not being at the races I miss the fans and the support and energy they all give me, that’s why I want as many as possible to come join me on Zwift this Saturday and for us to ride along together for an hour.” 

Earlier this week, Bernal returned to his road bike, just over two months on from the training crash which could have paralysed him. The 25-year-old shared photos of himself on social media out on the roads north of Bogotá in his home country, alongside his brother Ronald and team-mate Brandon Rivera. 

Initially, it seemed inevitable Bernal would miss an extended period of time from cycling due to the injuries he suffered in the crash, but his remarkable recovery could even see him return to racing this year, according to coach Xabier Artexte. 

Egan Bernal has returned to his road bike, just over two months on from the training crash which could have paralysed him.

The Ineos Grenadier rider posted photos of himself on social media to celebrate the milestone. He was out on roads north of Bogotá in his home country of Colombia, as he continues his recovery from the incident. Bernal was pictured with people including brother Ronald, and his teammate and friend Brandon Rivera.

“The happiest day of my life,” said Bernal on Instagram. “After 2 months and 20 broken bones, here I am, and I want more!”

The severe crash he was involved in at the end of January left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs he suffered in the incident.

The Colombian has previously said that still being alive is like being "born again", and that he was given a "second chance".

He left the Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, north of Bogotá, on Sunday after spending 14 days there. He also previously said that the accident left him with a  "95 per cent chance" of becoming paralysed.

The injuries occurred on January 24 when Bernal rode into the bus at close to 65kph while on his time trial bike. Being on the road bike is the latest step to be documented on social media, after he has shown himself walking unaided, on a stationary bike trainer and then later on an upright one.

His coach Xabier Artexte told La Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this month that Bernal could return to racing even this year.

"I have always told the team doctor: yes, I have faith that he will return to the highest level. I know what I'm saying has no scientific basis, because you can't know what's going to happen," he said.

"But I see him working, and once he has achieved strong musculoskeletal stability again, he may even be able to correct some decompensation that was there before, and be more balanced."

"He's motivated and has an incredible desire to return," he added. "It will also be stronger psychologically. Without forgetting that in a path like yours you don't always improve, there could be occasional small pains, moments of tiredness, a few steps backwards. Fortunately, up to now, there have been no problems."

Egan Bernal's coach has made the remarkable revelation that the Colombian could potentially return to racing before the end of the 2022 season.

"If we're to think of the standard times needed to make a recovery, the answer would be no," Artexte told La Gazzetta dello Sport when asked about whether Bernal could make his comeback before the end of the current year.

"However, Egan is a top-level sportsman and his recovery skills are also above average. I wouldn't reject this possibility even without setting it as a fixed goal – it's an option that exists. He is working to get back as soon as possible. It could be 2023 but also the end of this year. We must not rule it out, far from it."

Despite this positive news, Artexte went on to try and limit expectations.

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"I have always told the team doctor: yes, I have faith that he will return to the highest level. I know what I'm saying has no scientific basis, because you can't know what's going to happen," he continued.

"But I see him working, and once he has achieved strong musculoskeletal stability again, he may even be able to correct some decompensation that was there before, and be more balanced."

When Bernal does return, he will be stronger mentally, Artexte argues, which could make him a more formidable rider than he was already.

"He's motivated and has an incredible desire to return. It will also be stronger psychologically. Without forgetting that in a path like yours you don't always improve, there could be occasional small pains, moments of tiredness, a few steps backwards. Fortunately, up to now, there have been no problems," he said.

"The wounds have healed and so he will be able to work in the swimming pool, doing hydrotherapy. Ride? More than anything else it depends on his back because the knee and hip are already okay.

"Little by little, he is able to pedal in a seated position. He's not able to go out on the roads, but on an adapted bike he will be able to ride at home in a comfortable ergonomic position. I've already ordered the bike."

Yesterday Bernal posted a photo on Instagram of himself on the indoor trainer.

"Guess who is back on his bike and feeling like a chimba!!" the rider wrote.

"As long as there is faith, everything is possible. And I want to tell you that when you really want something, there is nothing but it is worth it."

Egan Bernal has shared shocking revelations from the severe crash he was involved in at the end of January, which left him requiring seven separate surgeries to treat the 20 broken bones and two collapsed lungs he suffered in the incident. 

Speaking in his first interview since the crash, Bernal candidly discusses specific details from the crash in a 50-minute long video with Semana, posted to the Colombian news outlet's YouTube channel. 

“I did an interval, ahead of my team-mates, I look ahead and there’s nothing,” he said.

“There’s a car behind me that’s escorting me. I keep doing my interval and I remember that I was going 58 kilometres per hour. That is like throwing down and the wind is in your favour. I was going 58. I start looking and it was 59, 60, 61, 62, and it was when I saw that speed that I crashed into the bus.

“I crashed into the bus at 62 kilometres per hour. The bus was still. At that moment, imagine the pain.”

In the last week on social media, Bernal has shared a video of himself walking unaided for 30 seconds while in a neck and back brace, before then sharing footage of himself riding a stationary bike, captioning it: "Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something."

During the video interview with Semana, the Colombian again acknowledges how grateful he is to be alive.

“I’m alive, it’s like a second chance. It’s like being born again and I enjoy every little thing that happens to me."

Bernal also clarifies no one is to blame for the accident, suggesting there is always an element of risk to cycling, but one that riders have to take in order to improve and prepare properly. 

“Unfortunately we are not football and we cannot train in a stadium, in a coliseum, we have to be exposed to this kind of thing.

“My normal training can be 270 kilometres from Zipaquirá to Tunja, round trip, thousands of things can happen. One has to be aware. There are risks that could be avoided, but we couldn’t stop doing the training on the open road because otherwise I couldn’t win the Tour de France."

For the foreseeable future Bernal is continuing his recovery and rehabilitation at his home in Colombia, with the intention to one day compete at the sharp end for Grand Tours honours once again. 

While he understands that is a tough ask, especially considering how difficult they are to win in normal circumstances, Bernal also wants to become the best version of himself. For Bernal, that means replicating his 2019 Tour de France and 2021 Giro d'Italia form. 

“I don’t know if I’m going to be at that level of winning a Tour de France again, because it’s already difficult. 

“If it is difficult when you are completely well, I don’t know what it will be like now.

"But I want to be the best version of Egan Bernal. What Egan Bernal can do right now, obviously I’m going to work to get to that level. I think that in fact I bring out my best version in these moments when I have an injury, I feel that I can be a little bit more focussed and that’s what I want, what I want to aim for.”

Ineos Grenadiers issued a medical update on Egan Bernal on Thursday, with the team stating they aren't setting a definitive timeline for his return to action despite his remarkable recovery four weeks after the serious crash which left him with a "95 per cent" chance of being paralysed.

In the past week, Bernal has updated his social media followers with his current condition. The Colombian posted a video of himself walking unaided for 30 seconds while in a neck and back brace, before then sharing footage of himself riding a stationary bike, captioning it: "Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something."

Regardless, Ineos Grenadiers aren't placing any pressure on Bernal's return, and will let him continue his recovery and rehabilitation at his own pace. Consequently, there isn't a scheduled date for when he will ride with the team once again. 

An Ineos Grenadiers statement read: "Egan is making great progress at home and working with a local rehab clinic where his recovery is going well. At present our medical staff have not set a definitive timeline for when we should expect to see him back on his bike.

"For the time being he will remain in Colombia until his progression has reached a satisfactory level for him to return to his European base."

The Colombian collided with the back of a stationary bus during training in his home country on January 24, suffering 20 broken bones, as well as both of his lungs collapsing. He had to undergo seven surgeries, including two on his spine, and he claimed he had a "95 per cent chance of becoming a paraplegic". 

Fortunately, though, Bernal managed to leave the Clínica Universidad de La Sabana just a fortnight after his crash, with a statement from the medical team there saying he "has no complications and all his injuries are stable and in the process of recovery".

The 25-year-old has since paid tribute to the doctors who saved his life, and in a video message he said it felt like he had a "second chance". He also said: "In truth, for me it’s like being born again, the fact that I’m alive."

Bernal will continue his recovery and rehabilitation at his home in Colombia for the foreseeable future. 

Egan Bernal can stand and walk without assistance, three weeks after the serious crash which left him with a "95 per cent" chance of being paralysed.

The Colombian posted a video on social media of him walking alone slowly for 30 seconds, while in a neck and back brace. It was shared with the caption "Sorpresa! Mis primeros pasos", or "Surprise! My first steps".

Bernal left hopsital last Sunday, a fortnight after he collided with the back of a stationary bus while out training in Colombia on his time trial bike with teammates.

He broke 20 bones, as well as both his lungs collapsing. He had to undergo seven surgeries, including two on his spine. The Ineos Grenadiers rider has previously said that he had a "95 per cent chance of becoming a paraplegic" and that he came close to losing his life "doing what I love to do most".

It is not known how long it will take him to recover from the crash, or whether he will be able to return to his previous high level, which has seen him win the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. 

When he left the Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, north of Bogotá, on Sunday, a statement from the medical team there said that Bernal "has no complications and all his injuries are stable and in the process of recovery".

In a video message released earlier this week, the Colombian said it felt like he had a "second chance" and that it felt like being reborn. He said: "In truth, for me it’s like being born again, the fact that I’m alive."

When he left the hospital, he was pictured in a wheelchair and standing up in photos, but the video released on Thursday night is the first time that the Giro champion has been seen walking.

He broke eleven ribs, one femur, a kneecap, a metacarpal and a thumb in the accident, as well as losing a tooth. However, it was the fractures to his vertebrae that were the most serious, with the 25-year old undergoing serious surgery on it; it is therefore positive to see him walking unaided.

Bernal is expected to continue his rehabilitation at home in Colombia.

Egan Bernal has said that still being alive is like being "born again", and that he has been given a "second chance" as he left hospital, 14 days after the training crash which left him severely injured.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider left the Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, north of Bogotá, on Sunday after spending 14 days there. He has previously said that the accident left him with a  "95 per cent chance" of becoming paralysed.

He broke 20 bones, as well as both his lungs collapsing. He had to undergo seven surgeries, including two on his spine.

In a video messaged filmed as he left the hospital in a wheelchair, the Colombian said that "life changed for me in one second".

"One moment I’m preparing for the Tour de France, giving it all on my time trial bike, and the next I’m fighting for my life," he said.

“Fortunately, I fell into good hands, and I believe that if it wasn’t for you [the doctors], it would be a different story, so I have to thank you for allowing me to have a second chance."

Bernal explained last week that he had a "95 per cent chance of becoming a paraplegic and nearly losing my life doing what I love to do most".

It is not known how long it will take him to recover from the crash, or whether he will be able to return to his previous high level, which has seen him win the Tour and the Giro d'Italia. He collided with a bus during a training ride on his time trial bike in January.

On Sunday, a hospital press release said that he has "no complications and all his injuries are stable and in the process of recovery".

In the video message, Bernal said that it was like being reborn. "In truth, for me it’s like being born again, the fact that I’m alive," he said. "In the days where I was in pain, I said to myself ‘at least I feel pain - at least I feel something’, and that’s thanks to you. 

“I’m obviously now starting a very long process, but you have already done the hard work. My respects for everything you do - you deserve a lot more recognition than we give you, and thank you genuinely for giving me a second chance. I hope to one day be able to repay in some way all that you’ve done for me.”

The 25-year old has now returned to his home in Colombia to begin his rehabilitation, which will be organised by the same hospital.

Egan Bernal has left hopsital in Colombia two weeks after the training crash which left him seriously injured, and with a "95 per cent chance" of becoming paralysed.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider left the Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, north of Bogotá, on Sunday after spending 14 days there.

Photos of Bernal with the medical staff that treated him were released with the announcement. A neck brace and plasters on his right hand were the only visible signs that he had been involved in an major incident.

"At this time, the patient is in the third phase of the trauma, ready to start his rehabilitation process. He has no complications and all his injuries are stable and in the process of recovery," the release from the hospital read.

In a post on Instagram last week, Bernal wrote that he suffered "almost 20 broken bones" as well as both his lungs collapsing. He listed his breaks as 11 ribs, one femur, a kneecap, T5 and T6 vertebrae, C2 vertebrae, a metacarpal, and one broken thumb. He also revealed that he lost one tooth in the accident.

He also explained last week that he had a "95 per cent chance of becoming a paraplegic and nearly losing my life doing what I love to do most".

It is not known how long it will take him to recover from the serious injuries, or if he will return to his previous high level. He collided with a bus during a training ride in January, and has since undergone seven surgeries, including two on his spine.

The hospital statement continued: "We are pleased to report that today the patient has been discharged, to continue his rehabilitation process on an outpatient basis with our Institution, the first Clinic accredited in Colombia in rehabilitation, since 2015, by the international entity Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

“Today we give more meaning and strength to the words that we carry in our Institution as a mission. With pride and hope we begin a new stage together with our athlete.” 

In his first post on Instagram since the accident, Bernal struck a positive tone, announcing "I'm back".

He wrote: "I almost killed myself, but do you know what? I am grateful to God for putting me through this test.

"This is the toughest race, but I have had a group of excellent people around me.

"Yesterday I had my last major surgery and everything seems to have gone well.

"So now to recovery and to doing it again. I'm back!! And let's rock."

On Sunday, his team tweeted: "Egan will now return home to begin his long rehabilitation journey — and we’ll be supporting him every step of the way."

Doctors successfully completed additional spinal surgery on Egan Bernal on Wednesday, the seventh such time the cyclist has been treated on since his horrendous collision last week.

The 25-year-old remains in intensive care at the Clinica Universidad de La Sabana in Chia in Colombia, 10 days since he rode into the back of a bus that had pulled over to allow a passenger to disembark.

In the incident, Bernal fractured his kneecap, femur, vertebrae and some of his ribs, as well as suffering a punctured lung and chest trauma.

All surgical interventions have been a success so far and doctors previously informed that the current Giro d'Italia champion had not suffered spinal cord damage and his mobility would not be affected.

Nevertheless, his situation remains serious, illustrated by the number of surgeries that have been necessary. The latest one was in the cervical vertebrae, positioned around the height of the neck.

A statement from the hospital explained: "After advancing in the recovery of the systems involved in the poly-trauma (skeletal, respiratory and neurological musculoskeletal system), new diagnostic images were made and it was defined, in an interdisciplinary way, that the patient underwent surgery at the level of the cervical spine. This intervention will favour his rehabilitation process."

It continued: "The patient is already recovering. The objectives of biomechanical stability of the cervical spine were achieved with excellent clinical results, without presenting complications during surgery."

No details have been released about the schedule of Bernal's recovery or when he is likely to be discharged from intensive care.

Bernal himself hasn't made a public comment since last Friday when he explained that he had a 95 percent chance of becoming paraplegic.

The Colombian won the 2019 Tour de France in just his second appearance at the race, and though back pain prevented him from defending yellow a year later, he bounced back by convincingly winning the Giro d'Italia last spring.

Doctors treating Egan Bernal in hospital in Colombia are focused on managing his pain while he stays in intensive care.

Eight days after the Ineos Grenadiers rider collided with a bus during a training ride with some of his teammates in his home country, the 25-year-old remains in a serious but stable condition.

The reigning Giro d'Italia champion fractured his femur, kneecap, vertebrae and some of his ribs, as well as suffering a punctured lung and chest trauma in the incident.

In the latest update from Juan Guillermo Ortiz Martínez, the director general of the Clinica Universidad de La Sabana hospital where Bernal is being treated, the doctor reported that the cyclist was progressing well and they had confidence in his recovery.

He said: "We continue to be very focused on pain management and providing a safe and supervised mobilisation with the support of an interdisciplinary team.

"We have carried out diagnostic control images and are permanently monitoring his evolution to define the lines of treatment."

Over the weekend, the hospital reported that Bernal had shown no signs of infection and that he continues to receive nutritional support to feed him."

Bernal posted a social media update on Friday, revealing that he had a 95 percent chance of becoming a paraplegic and almost lost his life.

He wrote: "I'm still in the ICU waiting for more surgeries but trusting in God that everything will be fine."

Messages of support have came in around the world for Bernal, with Chris Froome using his YouTube channel to ask that people do not start speculating about the Colombian's potential return to cycling. "We should simply leave him alone," the four-time Tour de France winner said.

Froome himself had a serious accident in 2019 when he crashed into a wall just before a time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He returned to the peloton less than a year later.

Egan Bernal has spoken publicly for the first time since his crash.

The 25-year-old suffered multiple fractures and a punctured lung after a collision with a bus that had pulled over. Bernal was subsequently rushed to hospital and underwent several surgeries, including one to stabilise his fractured vertebrae.

The Colombian has now revealed there was a high chance his accident would leave him without the use of his legs had it not been for the medical attention he received.

"Having had a 95 per cent chance of becoming a paraplegic and nearly losing my life doing what I love to do most," Bernal wrote on Twitter.

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"Today I want to thank God, La Sabadana hospital and all their specialists for doing the impossible, my family, and all of you for your wishes." 

Bernal remains in the intensive care unit, where he has been since arriving at the hospital but is remaining hopeful his condition will continue to improve.

"I'm still in the ICU waiting for more surgeries but trusting in God everything will be fine," he said.

In total, Bernal suffered fractures in his vertebrae, right femur, patella and ribs, as well as suffering chest trauma and a punctured lung.

"The treatment plan has focused on pain management and taking new diagnostic control images, which confirm the excellent result of spinal surgery. On the other hand, the lungs have re-expanded adequately," the Clinica Universidad de la Sabana in Bogotá said, before adding, "we have initiated nutritional support together with the intervention of our rehabilitation service."

"My happiness can be compared to what I felt 25 years ago because I felt that my son was born again," added Bernal's mother, Flor Marina, after the initial successful surgeries.

Egan Bernal continues to respond well to treatment in hospital in Colombia after his training ride crash that left him with multiple fractures and a punctured lung.

Almost 72 hours have passed since the 25-year-old's injury while training on his time trial bike with other Ineos Grenadiers riders in his home country.

The collision with a bus that had pulled over to allow a passenger to disembark resulted in the two-time Grand Tour winner suffering fractures in his vertebrae, right femur, patella and ribs, as well as chest trauma and a punctured lung.

Doctors initially said they expected Bernal to remain in intensive care for 72 hours, and during that time he has undergone several successful surgeries, including one to stabilise the vertebrae fracture that had most worried doctors treating the rider.

In the latest medical update from the Clinica Universidad de la Sabana in Bogotá, doctors reported that Bernal "has continued with a favourable evolution".

It added: "The treatment plan has focused on pain management and taking new diagnostic control images, which confirm the excellent result of spinal surgery. On the other hand, the lungs have re-expanded adequately."

Previous updates had revealed that a tube inserted in his throat to allow him to breathe during surgery had been removed, and that "the patient has had an excellent response to treatment... [and] at this time, he is conscious, with mobility of all four extremities."

The latest medical statement also confirmed that "we have initiated nutritional support together with the intervention of our rehabilitation service."

The positive news emanating from Colombian's capital prompted Bernal's mother, Flor Marina Gómez, to post an Instagram story with pictures of her son as a young child, accompanied by the emotive message: "My happiness can be compared to what I felt 25 years ago because I felt that my son was born again."

Elsewhere, the Colombian men's football team gathered as one to record a video wishing Bernal a speedy recovery and expressing their hope of seeing him representing the country on a world stage once more.

It is not yet known if Bernal will remain in intensive care after the first 72 hours, but a further update is expected on Thursday.

Ineos Grenadiers have confirmed that Egan Bernal has suffered multiple fractures and remains in intensive care following a horror crash while training in Colombia.

The 2019 Tour de France winner was riding his time trial bike in Gachancipá with other Ineos riders, including Richard Carapaz and Dani Martínez, when he rode directly into the back of a bus that is reported to have pulled over to allow passengers to disembark.

Bernal was treated at the scene initially by team staff before being taking to the Clinica Universidad de La Sabana in Bogotá, where he was twice operated on.

The injuries are serious and complex, with the 25-year-old suffering cervical and thoracic trauma and musculoskeletal trauma.

Ineos Grenadiers released an update on Wednesday afternoon: "Following yesterday’s training accident, Egan remains in a stable condition in intensive care after two successful surgeries," it said.

"Egan suffered a fractured vertebrae, a fractured right femur, a fractured right patella, chest trauma, a punctured lung and several fractured ribs in the crash. 

"Doctors were able to medically pin his right leg and stabilise the vertebrae fracture in two separate surgeries last night. He is now in an intensive care unit where other potential secondary injuries are being managed, as well as his body’s response to the trauma.

"The team would like to thank the medical staff at Clinica Universidad de La Sabana and everyone who has sent messages of support to Egan. All of our focus is on ensuring Egan is given the best possible care as he starts on his road to recovery. "

It has been reported elsewhere, including in the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, that surgeons stabilised the spinal fractures and placed an instrumentation between his T3 and T8 vertebrae, that specific injury worrying doctors the most.

El Tiempo also reported that Bernal has bleeding on his chest, and a further operation will take place to control that.

The injury has prompted an outpouring of well-wishes across the globe for the 2021 Giro d'Italia champion, with current and former riders expressing their horror at the incident and wishing him a full and speedy recovery.

Three-time world champion Peter Sagan said he hoped the Colombian would bounce back stronger than ever.

Egan Bernal has been involved in an accident while out training at home in Colombia.

He was taken to hospital in Bogota where he is said to be in a stable condition undergoing further assessment.

A photograph taken at the scene shows the rider on the floor being attended to behind the parked bus he collided with while surrounded by team-mates. 

A video has also emerged showing the scene, with Bernal lying still on the floor in the aftermath of the accident. Marca has reported Bernal has suffered a broken femur and kneecap.

"The Ineos Grenadiers can confirm Egan Bernal has been taken to hospital following a training accident in Colombia this morning," the team said in a statement.

"Bernal, who is at a Team training camp near his hometown, was accompanied to hospital by Team medical staff and was conscious upon arrival. He is stable and undergoing further assessment.

"The Team will provide an update on Egan's condition in due course."

The 25-year-old had been set to begin his season at the Tour de La Provence on February 10 followed by the UAE Tour ten days later.

More to follow...

Ineos Grenadiers have announced that Egan Bernal has signed a new five-year contract with the team, keeping him there until at least the end of 2026.

The Colombian joined the British-based team in 2018 at 21-years-old, and just a year later he won the Tour de France to become the first Latin American rider to do so, and the youngest winner since 1909, though Tadej Pogačar quickly usurped him a year later.

Bernal secured his second Grand Tour victory at the 2021 Giro d'Italia with Ineos Grenadiers, the team's twelfth since forming in 2010. The 24-year-old, who will now stay with the team until he is 29, is excited at the prospect of spending five more years with Ineos, and has his sights set on the Tour de France in 2022. 

Bernal said: “It’s really important, signing this new contract. I am really happy in this team. I am really proud of the team, the staff, and I’m signing now for my most important years. It will be my best years and I want to spend this time with this team.

“I really want to go back to the Tour. I skipped last year because of the Giro, but it feels like it’s been a long time since I was at the Tour. So I am really excited about this year. I want to go back having prepared really well, taking a good team, and being there to really enjoy the race."

He continued, adding the support from the team made the decision to extend his contract a no-brainer. For Bernal, staying with Ineos Grenadiers presents the perfect environment for him to succeed.

“I am really proud to be a Grenadier. You arrive at the races and you feel that you have the support and structure behind you. 

"The thing about this team that I noticed right from the beginning is that everyone is working towards one goal. You can see and feel that everyone loves the sport, they are all really devoted and have an all in mentality.”

Understandably, the team's management is also delighted to extend the services of one of the world's strongest riders, with both the rider and the team motivated to continuously strive for more wins.

Deputy Team Principal Rod Ellingworth said: “We have seen Egan really grow over the last four years with the team. He’s demonstrated time and again that he is a phenomenal talent. He has also shown that, in the challenging moments, he has a huge amount of courage to pick himself up, lay himself on the line and go again. 

"As a Grenadier and as a teammate, you can’t ask for much more than that. This season is going to be hugely competitive. Egan and the whole team are motivated to go all in and come out fighting.” 

Egan Bernal has said that he would prefer to win the Vuelta a España rather than another Tour de France, which would mean a complete set of grand tour titles.

The current Giro d'Italia champion has made it clear before that he will be at next year's Tour and attempt to win it for a second time. However, his comments on Colombian television are interesting with regard to his motivation.

He told Win Sports TV's Ciclismo Entre Grandes programme: "If you ask me what I prefer to win, another Tour or the Vuelta, I prefer the Vuelta. There it would go down in history, I would be left with the triple crown."

Only seven cyclists have won all three grand tours, with Chris Froome the most recent, winning all three with Ineos Grenadiers' previous incarnation Team Sky.

The others are Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Felice Gimondi.

However, Bernal said that he would have to obey his team's wishes and return to the Tour, the site of his first grand tour success in 2019.

"You have to talk to the team," he explained. "You have to obey the team and have respect. I think it's time to go back to the Tour; it's practically two years without going, because in 2020 I retired. 

"I want to go again and prepare it in the best way. The last stage is a time trial and that makes you think."

Last month the Colombian said: "It is clear that we are going to focus all our preparation and efforts thinking about competing in the Tour de France this year. It is time to return to the path that we found in 2019 and from which we have separated a little."

Bernal has only ridden one Vuelta, this year, where he finished 6th overall. Despite this relatively low finish, he impressed, putting in the attack of the race on stage 17 to Lagos de Covadonga.

On this experience, he said: "I have learned much more in that Vuelta than in many races that I have done."

He has ridden the Tour three times, including his 2019 victory, but withdrew the last time he rode the race in 2020 through injury. 

As for other future goals, he expressed an interest in challenging at the World Championship road race. He said: "It would be cool, but it's like riding a Paris-Roubaix: I don't see myself there."

News that Egan Bernal will target the Tour de France in 2022 has been greeted with optimism in his native Colombia, where there's belief that he can topple defending champion Tadej Pogačar.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider won the Tour in 2019 aged just 22 but failed to defend his title the following year after suffering from a back injury. He returned to form this spring by winning the Giro d'Italia comfortably.

Now Bernal is preparing to return to the Tour and stop Pogačar's run of two successive victories. To do that he will also have to better Primož Roglič, the winner of the past three editions of the Vuelta a España.

The 2022 Tour route packs in 53 time trialling kilometres that will suit the aforementioned Pogačar and Roglič, but Lisandro Rengifo, a journalist with the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, says that Bernal should not be discounted.

"To win against the two best riders in the world right now, two five-star riders, is difficult, but it's not impossible," he told Cycling Weekly.

"Egan has recovered his form, his confidence, and can ride alongside them. The country hopes - maybe expects - this to happen. He is once again a rider who can compete with these two.

"And I think he's a different Egan to before because he has more experience and has won two Grand Tours.

"It is very difficult to beat Roglič and Pogačar when there are so many time trialling kilometres and when they can climb so well.

"But Egan can climb really well and he has everything alongside him. This is also a sport, it's cycling: riders fall, things happen that could benefit Egan."

Bernal's victory in the Giro, alongside a sixth place at the Vuelta, has given the host nation faith in the young rider once again.

"The opinion of Egan in Colombia is very positive right now," Rengifo added. "He won the Giro, taking his opportunity to return to a top level.

"The country seen his recovery and has a reason to believe in him again. The country's taken confidence that he can win Grand Tours, although they never not believed."

Before the Giro, Bernal rode to a very impressive third place at Strade Bianche, just a few days after finishing second at the Trofeo Laigueglia. In 2019 he won the Gran Piemonte race in Italy and followed that up with third at Il Lombardia.

Bernal, therefore, is also able to compete against two-time Monument winner Pogačar in one-day races.

"He has demonstrated that he is a modern cyclist," Rengifo said. "Pogačar and Roglič are the same: they win titles in three-week races, one-week races and one-day events. Egan has responded to those challenges."

Egan Bernal has confirmed he wants to return to the Tour de France for the first time since abandoning the race in 2020 with back pain. 

Since then, Bernal has gone on to win the Giro d'Italia, take sixth overall at the Vuelta a España and third in Strade Bianche, as well as a number of other top level results. 

However, Bernal and his Ineos Grenadiers team-mates are yet to beat their Slovenian rivals Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) with the former taking two Tour de France titles in a row over 2020 and 2021.

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When asked if he would be at the Tour by Mundo Ciclístico Magazine at an event in Colombia, Bernal said: "The answer is yes. It is clear that we are going to focus all our preparation and efforts thinking about competing in the Tour de France this year. It is time to return to the path that we found in 2019 and from which we have separated a little."

Since Bernal's win in 2019, which followed almost an entire decade of dominance by his team with Chris Froome winning four times as well as victories for Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas in 2012 and 2018 respectively, Ineos haven't hit the same heights.

Bernal failed in 2020 with Richard Carapaz stepping up to take a very creditable third overall behind Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

The injury that plagued his 2020 season is, according to Bernal, seemingly behind him: "I think I have fully recovered, but nevertheless we have been monitoring the evolution through physiotherapy sessions, strengthening in the gym, and I’m hoping to start the cycling year and continue without anything that could affect my performance on the bike."

The 24-year-old is likely going to come up against Pogačar and Roglič once again at the Tour as Ineos Grenadiers look to triumph ahead of the Slovenian duo.

Mauro Vegni, director of the Giro d'Italia, is still trying to lure Pogačar to race his race before then trying to win the Tour saying: "It’s time for a rider to win the Giro-Tour double".

The Tour de France begins on Friday, July 1 2022 with the race ending three weeks later on Sunday, July 24 2022. The race begins with a three-stage Grand Départ in the Danish capital Copenhagen.

Egan Bernal has squashed rumours he is unhappy at Ineos Grenadiers, as he looks toward a return to the Tour de France in 2022, a year when he hopes he will finally have got his back problems under control and be able to regain his Tour-winning form of 2019 and challenge the Slovenian duo of Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič.

"No no no no. But it is not [like that], really," Bernal tells Spanish newspaper Marca of whether he fell out with his British trade team at this year's Vuelta a España, where he could only muster a sixth overall finish. "With Yates I got along super well. He seems like a super calm person to me. A classy cyclist. I really liked him. I think it was the first race I did with him and it was all great. There is no problem, really."

Rumours of this disquiet during the Spanish Grand Tour led to speculation that Bernal could leave for another team, potentially Israel Start-Up Nation.

"I never spoke to Israel," he continued. "Obviously many things are said, there is news. But I didn't want to get into that game of saying 'I'm not leaving'. Nothing ever happened."

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Having returned to Grand Tour-winning form at the Giro d'Italia in May, Bernal confirmed his class after a difficult 2020 where Tadej Pogačar took the Colombian's place as the rider people now expect to win multiple Tours de France over the next decade.

The 24-year-old says it's now his intention to return to the Tour and fight for the yellow jersey, a two-year dry spell in France for Ineos is their longest since Bradley Wiggins won their first in 2012.

"It is true that I would like to return to the Tour," Bernal admits. "But I still cannot confirm it one hundred percent. We have to wait a little longer to know the plans for everything. My idea is to go to the Tour and I don't know if to the Giro. If it is not in 2022, I will return to the Giro very soon because it is one of the races that I like the most.

"I've been looking at some stages and I think it's an interesting Tour, as always. We will have to play well strategically. We will try to do our best. I think it's a pretty interesting Tour."

Bernal fends off questions as to whether he sees himself at the top table of GC contenders alongside Pogačar and Roglič, although the fact he can now fully push on the bike without back pain indicates he is on the right path to doing so.

"It is being a fairly long process," Bernal reveals. "I think we are on the right track. But the important thing is that I can squeeze 100 percent without pain."

This back issue has prevented him from improving his time trialling ability, an area where he will need to make up ground to Pogačar and Roglič.

"I think that in the time trial is where I lose the most time. This making some changes in the bike, in the position. I have hardly been able to work for two years because of my back problem. Now I am finally able to work again, also on the track and in the wind tunnel. I think we are on the right track."

But for Bernal, having already won two Grand Tours at 24 and forced to deal with all the trappings that come with being a cycling star in bike-mad Colombia, his hope over the next year is only to be content with life.

"If you ask me about a challenge for 2022, even though Ganna, Viviani and Sagan have told you [in Dubai at the Giro d'Italia Criterium] that the World Championships [is their aim], I answer that my goal is to be happy. It is above victories. It's what I want the most."

Sir Dave Brailsford has responded to the rumours that Egan Bernal wants to leave Ineos Grenadiers. 

The cycling rumour mill has been abuzz ever since reports emerged suggesting that multiple Grand Tour winner Bernal is unhappy at the British WorldTour squad.

Colombian superstar Bernal is currently three years into an unusually long five-year contract with Ineos, as the team has banked on the future success of the 24-year-old, already the winner of the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. 

Recent reports from Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, based on quotes from Italian journalist Beppe Conti, suggested that Bernal was unhappy at Ineos and that he had a “blank” relationship with team-mates.

The article said Bernal was expected to see out his current contract, which runs until the end of 2023, before seeking a new deal with Israel Start-Up Nation.

In a video interview with Colombian journalist Juan Sebastian, Ineos Grenadiers team principal Brailsford has responded to the rumours, saying: “Egan has still got two years on his contract. We’re in the third year of a five-year contract with Egan.

"We’re very very proud of Egan. He’s a brilliant rider, we’ve always had a good relationship with Colombian riders. He’s won the Tour de France for us, he proved how fantastic he is with the way he won the Giro. 

“He’s one of the key riders in the team now and going forward. Like always we look to the future and we’d like him very much to be part of our future.” 

Brailsford was speaking from Leuven during the World Championships in Flanders, at an event hosted by Ineos Grenadiers kit sponsor for 2022 Bioracer. 

Bernal signed with Ineos, formerly Team Sky, for the 2018 season, helping the team win the Tour de France with Geraint Thomas that year, before he went on to win the race himself in 2019. 

After struggling with back problems through the 2020 season, Bernal returned to dominant form during the 2021 Giro d’Italia, comfortably winning his second three-week race. 

He is expected to return to the Tour next year to try and repeat his past success. 

Egan Bernal and Adam Yates have reflected on a mixed Vuelta a España for Ineos Grenadiers, as both riders spoke of the “suffering” they experienced late in the race.

British WorldTour team Ineos went into the race as one of the favourite teams, fielding both Bernal and Yates as their co-leaders in the Spanish Grand Tour.

But the team left Spain without a reason to celebrate, as their riders both missed the podium, with no stage wins along the way. 

Yates was riding his first Grand Tour with Ineos after joining from Mitchelton-Scott at the start of the season.

Bernal was targeting his second major victory of the year, having won the Giro d’Italia in the spring before he was diagnosed with Covid-19, which upended his preparation for the Vuelta.

British pro Yates was the best-placed finisher for Ineos in the Vuelta, taking fourth place almost two minutes away from the podium placings. 

The 29-year-old from Bury said: “We had some good days and we had some bad days. I think we raced quite well as a team. For me it’s my first Grand Tour with my new team. I enjoyed every moment. Not every day was perfect but it’s something to build on for next year and the years after that." 

Bernal meanwhile previously admitted he knew he wasn’t at his best from the very first day of racing in Spain, eventually finishing sixth overall, more than 13 minutes down on overall winner Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma).

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Bernal said: "I learned about suffering. I think I’ve suffered a lot in this Vuelta but at the same time I enjoyed it a lot. I think in every race you learn something and I hope it will be good for next year. 

"I'm really happy for Primož. For sure he deserves it." 

Despite having led the youth classification for much of the race, Bernal eventually finished second in that competition to Switzerland's Gino Mäder (Bahrain Victorious). 

His best stage result came on day 18 to Altu d'El Gamoniteiru, where he finished fourth as Miguel Ángel López rode to the win. 

Yates's best result from the race came on the final mountain stage of the race to Mos. Castro de Herville, where he finished third.

Egan Bernal has cast doubts on his possibilities of finishing on the podium saying that he is in "survival mode" for the last two stages of the Vuelta a España 2021.

The Ineos Grenadiers leader went on a 61km attack with leader of the race Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) on stage 17 and has looked like he is coming into the top form he's previously shown at Grand Tours.

However, as he slowly climbs through the standings, he has spoken out about how he has struggled since the attack and is doubtful that he'll make the podium currently held by Roglič and the Movistar duo of Enric Mas and Miguel Ángel López almost two minutes ahead of Bernal in fifth.

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After stage 19, which turned into an unexpectedly brutal day for the peloton as they chased the breakaway, Bernal doubted his chances of standing on the podium come Sunday.

"I haven't even thought about my podium options," Bernal said, "it's very complicated, I don’t think I can make it.

"Yesterday [stage 18] we paid a bit for the day we attacked 60 km from the finish line with Roglič, I think it showed, and even more today. It was not an easy day even though it was a stage for the sprint. It was almost 100 km going up. If I had legs I would attack, but I think I'm in a survival mode."

Bernal finished in 24th place on stage 19 after being placed well in the peloton by his team-mate Tom Pidcock. He sits at 4-43 from Roglič in the overall standings but 1-59 from López in third with Bahrain Victorious' Jack Haig between the two.

"It was a very tough stage. I felt like it was going up all day," continued the reigning Giro d'Italia champion. 

"The last part was faster, but there was a lot of wear. Everyone in the peloton was in a hurry, we were going very fast. Tomorrow is about surviving."

Stage 20 is another day for the climbers, albeit at a much lower altitude with the highest climb of the day just nudging over 600 metres. 

However, with five categorised climbs along with several uncategorised ones it should be another day of suffering over the 202.2km from Sanxenxo to Mos. Castro de Herville.