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.”
