Egan Bernal
Egan Bernal
Nationality: Colombian
Date of birth: January 13, 1997
Team: Ineos Grenadiers
Twitter: @eganbernal
Little was known about Egan Bernal before he was signed by Team Sky in 2018. Another rider from the long line of Colombian climbers, he was signed by Androni-Sidermec team boss Gianni Savio in 2016 and immediately began racing at the senior level, bypassing the U23 category.
Impressive results came quickly, with top 10 finishes in the Vuelta a San Juan and Tour of the Alps. His first professional win came in the Sibiu Cycling Tour with two stage victories and the overall, rubber-stamping his position as a force to be reckoned with.
The string of results drew the attention of Team Sky talent scouts and a contract buyout of €350,000 saw Bernal switch teams at the end of the 2017 season, then signing a five-year contract extension at the end of the 2018 season.
Throughout 2018, there were a flurry of questions surrounding the Colombian's development and whether Ineos were over-racing Bernal during a packed season. He rode as a mountain domestique in the Tour, supporting Thomas to victory and putting in a phenomenal performance on Alpe d'Huez, whilst also finishing second in the white jersey competition and 15th overall. The season also saw him win the overall at Amgen Tour of California and podium at the Tour de Romandie.
It was 2019 when Bernal's potential fully emerged as he became a leader in a Grand Tour. While he was initially due to lead Team Ineos at the Giro d'Italia, a training crash on the eve of the race resulted in him missing the Giro and instead racing the Tour.
Bernal came into the Tour piping hot, with GC wins in Paris-Nice and Tour de Suisse. However, his lack of Grand Tour leadership experience ensured many commentators wrote him off.
As a co-leader with Geraint Thomas, there were also persistent questions rivalry between the two. It became apparent, however, that both were willing to work for the other and ultimately let the road decide. Decide it did and after 21 stages of one of the most exciting Tours in recent memory, Bernal became the youngest winner since 1909 and the first Colombian to win the race.
A phenomenal battle between the panache of the Frenchman Alaphilippe and the steadfast Ineos riders ensued. After holding the jersey for 14 days, stage 19 saw Alaphilippe lose yellow after being dropped on the Col de l'Iseran. After the stage was cancelled midway due to landslides at the summit of the climb, the time difference was enough for Bernal to take yellow, which he defended the next day, doing enough to be crowned overall victor.
In 2020, Bernal raced four stage races and the national championships, he dominated at the Route d'Occitanie but was bettered by other riders in the Tour Colombia 2.1 and the Tour de l'Ain, then he abandoned the Critérium du Dauphiné due to back pain.
The follow year, at the age of just 24, the Colombian won his second Grand Tour in the Giro d'Italia, collecting two stage wins in the process. Despite coming under difficulty in the final week, Bernal was able to hold a convincing winning margin, prevailing by almost a minute and a half over Bahrain Victorious's Damiano Caruso. That September, he went on to place sixth at the Vuelta a España.
Bernal's 2022 season was expected to be one of his strongest, before a winter training crash threw his career, and life, into jeopardy. On home roads in Colombia, the Ineos Grenadiers rider collided at speed with a bus, suffering breaks to his ribs, femur, kneecap and vertebrae. "I almost killed myself," he said at the time, "but do you know what? I am grateful to God for putting me through this test."
He returned to light racing in August, before ending his season the following month to undergo knee surgery in Colombia.
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'It is time to change goals' - Egan Bernal's coach confirms Ineos Grenadiers exit
'I want to thank all the cyclists I have had the opportunity to coach over the past ten years' Xabier Artetxe says in LinkedIn post
By Tom Thewlis Published
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Egan Bernal wins first race since 2022 horror crash, Ineos Grenadiers win first race in 215 days
Bernal’s victory was also Ineos Grenadier’s first win in months
By Tom Thewlis Published
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Tweets of the week: Eurosport's grave, Marianne Vos's jet washer, and Egan Bernal makes a surprise appearance
It's all you could hope for in this week's social media round up
By Tom Davidson Published
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21 things you didn't know about Egan Bernal
From his mountain bike beginnings, to gifting the Pope a custom bike
By Tom Davidson Last updated
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Pope's Pinarello sells at auction for £12,000 - half of estimated price
The bike was given to the Pope by Egan Bernal in 2021, along with a Giro d'Italia pink jersey
By Tom Davidson Published
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Egan Bernal's best result since crash opens door to Tour de France selection: 'We need him competitive for us in the biggest races'
The Colombian revealed that some of his power numbers are better than before his crash in January 2022
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
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Bike gifted to the Pope by Egan Bernal goes up for auction
The Pinarello Dogma F12 is expected to fetch €30,000 in an online auction
By Tom Davidson Published
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'We were lucky with the weather': Brandon McNulty admits rain helped UAE Emirates edge Paris-Nice stage three team time trial
American pulled on the yellow jersey after a rain soaked finale to stage three in Auxerre
By Tom Thewlis Published
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Ineos Grenadiers delighted with Egan Bernal’s late cameo on stage one of Paris-Nice
Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux
By Tom Thewlis Published
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Did Egan Bernal accidentally leak the 2024 Ineos Grenadiers kit? Ineos and Bioracer part ways
Colombian 2019 Tour de France champion posted an image of a new jersey online before quickly deleting it
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
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Egan Bernal heads back to Tour de France 'ambitious' but 'realistic'
The 2019 winner is targeting general classification at his first Tour since life-threatening accident
By Adam Becket Published
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100 days until the Tour de France: How the contenders are shaping up
How are the leading GC riders looking a century away from the biggest bike race of them all?
By Adam Becket Published
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Egan Bernal to return to racing in late-March
Rod Ellingworth confirms Colombian to return to action in coming weeks, Tour de France place not guaranteed
By Tom Thewlis Published
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No Egan Bernal at Paris-Nice as knee injury disrupts season
Former Tour de France champion "OK" but return is unknown at the moment
By Adam Becket Published
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Egan Bernal has nose operation to help 'air passage' ahead of 2023
Procedure not thought to be connected to the life-threatening crash which affected Colombian last year
By Adam Becket Published
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Egan Bernal set to kick-off 2023 season in Argentina as he targets Tour de France return
Colombian hoping to make a return to Tour de France after successful knee operation
By Tom Thewlis Published
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Remco Evenepoel should ignore Ineos Grenadiers' overtures and stay put at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
Interest from a Grand Tour winning machine like Ineos Grenadiers is flattering, but it's not sure to realise the World Champion’s massive potential
By Tom Thewlis Published
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Egan Bernal ends season to return to Colombia for knee surgery
No Il Lombardia or Tour of Croatia for the Colombian as he builds for 2023 comeback
By Tom Thewlis Published
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Egan Bernal to return to racing at Tour of Denmark, eight months after horror crash
Ineos Grenadiers confirm that Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner will race on Tuesday
By Adam Becket Last updated
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Egan Bernal takes next step of his comeback at altitude training camp in Andorra
The Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner on the road to recovery after horror crash in January
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
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'Difficult does not mean impossible' says Egan Bernal as he's back sprinting after sustaining horrific injuries
The Colombian posted a video of his first time sprinting on the bike to social media
By Ryan Dabbs Published
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Egan Bernal urges fans to remain patient in latest video documenting recovery: 'Wait for me, I'll be back racing soon'
Bernal and Ineos Grenadiers posted a behind-the-scenes video of the rider as he discusses his return to cycling
By Ryan Dabbs Published
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Egan Bernal admits recovery isn't all positive: 'I’ve had many painful nights and times where I can’t do much'
Colombian rider highlights how he only shares positive aspects of his recovery on social media
By Ryan Dabbs Published
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Egan Bernal offering opportunity for fans to ride with him on Zwift
The Colombian is eager to show his appreciation to fans by planning a virtual Zwift ride this Saturday
By Ryan Dabbs Published
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Egan Bernal back on road bike two months after horror crash
Ineos Grenadiers rider says it is "the happiest day of my life"
By Adam Becket Published
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Egan Bernal could return to racing in 2022, says coach
The Colombian posted a picture of himself back on the bike yesterday
By Jonny Long Published
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Egan Bernal reveals details of training crash for first time: 'I crashed into the bus at 62kph'
Bernal shared the harrowing experience during his first interview since the incident in January
By Ryan Dabbs Published
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Ineos Grenadiers issues positive update on Egan Bernal's recovery but 'have not set a definitive timeline' for return to training
Bernal is continuing to rehabilitate at his home in Colombia, less than a month after his serious training crash
By Ryan Dabbs Published
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Surprise: Egan Bernal posts video of himself walking unaided following crash
Colombian has returned home for rehab after spending two weeks in hospital after his collision
By Adam Becket Published