Egan Bernal has confirmed that he will focus entirely on the Tour in 2022. This is no trivial announcement. This year's choice to come to the Giro has allowed him to to avoid confrontation with Pogacar and Roglic, going straight to France means challenging them after the 2019 victory and the painful withdrawal in 2020. It could also mean that the back pain is finally under control or that the leaders of the Ineos team have decided to return to the stage that made them greatPlaying all their cards at their disposal in one fell swoop: a choice that goes against their history and the trend of recent years.
Back pain defeated?
On Sunday, Egan took part in an event sponsored in Bogota by Exito, a widespread supermarket chain, on the importance of proper nutrition in children and then found a way to talk about himself and the moment in his career.
"After a much-needed vacation," he said, "I'm already back focused on training and preparation, both physically and purely cycling-wise. I hope to quickly find the right condition. I think I'm completely recovered from my back pain., but despite this we monitored the evolution of the situation through physiotherapy sessions, increasing the frequency of gym workI hope it doesn't have any more repercussions on my riding. At the beginning of December, in short, I will fly to Spain for a retreat with the team, where we will define programs and details for next year."
Trip to Dubai
Previously, Bernal had participated in the Giro d'Italia Criterium, which took place in Dubai in the context of the Universal Exhibition.
«I must confess – he admitted – that I had no idea what the Universal Exhibition was, due to its importance and its sizeIt was a wonderful experience to be able to visit the beautiful Colombian pavilion and those of other countries. On the sporting front, it was very interesting to compete in the Expo facilities (the first sporting event ever organized in a similar context, ed.) and I think we gave a good show with the group of champions invited by the Giro d'Italia, regardless of the fact that I finished second behind Sagan."
Return to the Tour
On the Giro and the fact that it was first and foremost the answer to his desire for the pink jersey (frustrated by the 2020 calendar revolutionised by Covid) and then a slightly softer way to get back into work after back problems, the memory is very beautiful.
«The Giro – he said – is a beautiful and fantastic memory. It had enormous personal and sporting significance for me, for my team and for our countryBut it wasn't a walk in the park; it came at a very high cost in terms of both individual and collective physical and mental effort. It's a triumph we won't forget. I paid for it at the Vuelta, too, because only in a few stages did I feel like I had the legs. Next year we will focus all our preparation and efforts on the Tour de FranceIt's time to return to resume the path I began in 2019 and from which I distanced myself for a while."
