Two boys who quickly became men. They were reborn from the pain of falls that could have ended their careers and their very lives.But while Remco got back up and started winning without respite, Egan is still struggling with the thousand doubts of his return. Like them, there would also be Jakobsen, but Yesterday, Remco Evenepoel and Egan Bernal were invited to the stage at the Hotel Del Bono to talk about themselves.
Half an hour of questions for each one on the eve of the Return to San Juan: some colorful in full Argentine style, others more punctual. Remco with headphones for translation and ironic smiles. Bernal is more reserved, but in control of the situation.The former is already en route to the Giro, with 2-3 kilos to lose and a great lightness in talking about it. The latter is focused on the Tour, to resume the journey interrupted by the collision with the bus.
We start again with the Vuelta a San Juan…
EVENEPOEL: «I couldn't wait for the season to start. I have great expectations, but winning is not easyWe will try to help Fabio as much as possible, but I will be the first to try to win back the leader's jerseyI'm happy to be here, in a beautiful race and with beautiful landscapes. It would have been nice to still have a time trial, it won't be easy to repeat last time's success."
BERNAL: «This is the race that best suits me to get off to a good start. It is well organised and I really want to run. It will be perfect for getting into the rhythm.I feel good. I did everything I needed to, but It's one thing to train, it's another to run.The route has few climbs, but with the heat and the riders who are there, it will be a very physical race, very interesting for the public."
A lot has happened lately: how do you feel different?
EVENEPOEL: «In three years I have definitely become older. In the meantime There have been many victories and falls that have changed meI'm a new rider. It's nice to come back with the certainty that we haven't stopped since that crash."
BERNAL: «You learn a lot from a year like the one I went through, perhaps the worst of my life. I learned to have patience and that family is very importantWe are human beings, we are fragile. We always think that everything happens to others, but this time it happened to me., including the fact that my mother has cancer and my father was not well either"
How will you experience the race?
EVENEPOEL: «We are here with Fabio Jakobsen, the fastest rider in the worldI'll be part of his train, I'll be the third man. I will try to win on the Alto del Colorado, competing with the Colombian riders who are flying at this time because they have been training here at altitude all winter.I remember the last time up there. I wasn't sharp enough yet, I was behind and too relaxed. I wasn't ready to be ahead, but luckily I managed to make up for it. It was probably a nice show for you on television.».
BERNAL: «It will be a race to be experienced day by day. The mountain stage will be tough, but there will be other stages with strong winds: it will be important to protect yourself from the wind fans. Our Customers a very good teamFor the fast stages we have Viviani, who is in very good shapeWe'll try to do something with him, then we'll be there for the climbs. The important thing will be to have the team around me so I can compete on the mountain with whoever is there. But I'm calm, there's Ganna, when he wants he's a real machine».
How are you?
EVENEPOEL: «It's going well, things are nice in Spain, thanks for asking. Moving was an important step in my personal historyCalpe is a great place to train and work towards my future. The important thing to be in good shape is to always give your best and be able to work in the right wayI hope everything continues like this, because so far it's been going very well."
BERNAL: «I'm doing the same workouts I was capable of doing in my best years. I'm calm. The hardest part of the recovery wasn't the physical one, all things considered, but the psychological one.There were days when I had to convince myself that I wanted to continue going out while my mother and girlfriend waited for me at home, fearful. But I realized that my life is on the bicycle and that many people have not had the same luck as me.».
This morning, lots of kids dressed as riders asked you to take a picture: how do you feel about being an inspiration?
EVENEPOEL: «I can give little advice to the kids, except that of enjoy the bike, always and in any caseI tell him to always be focused on the race that is yet to come, fighting for what they believe in and what they can achieve».
BERNAL: «Being a point of reference for the younger ones is motivating. They remind me of when I was their age. I was 12 or 13 and dreamed of racing on the roads of the Tour.Seeing children dreaming of imitating me makes me think that new talents will soon arrive. And maybe even What happened to me can be an inspiration for many people who are going through difficult times right now., because I really think I won the hardest race."
What can you say about each other?
EVENEPOEL: «With Egan we talked for five minutes at the buffet, but we haven't talked much. I follow him on Strava and I see that he sometimes posts incredible data, but I'm told that he sometimes leaves out the sections behind the bike. Anyway, It's nice to see him back in the saddle and I hope he can return to the level of 2019, then he will be able to race again to win the Grand Tours."
BERNAL: «Remco is an inspiration, for the fall he had and the way he came out of itIt must not have been easy, especially in a country like Belgium where he was immediately compared to Merckx. But he worked hard and won. I have admiration for him."
