Egan Bernal remembered his accident: “I went from preparing for the Tour de France to not knowing if I was going to walk again”

Egan Bernal Not only is he one of the most remarkable cyclists in the history of Colombia, but he has also become an example for many people to follow after recovering from the injuries caused by the serious accident he suffered. in training at the start of 2022. The broker assured that in the 2023 season he expects, “to get back into competition soon to continue to inspire people, children and above all, carry a voice of encouragement whoever needs it. »

At 26, the Colombian has in his prize list 19 wins as a professional, where his title in the Tour de France 2019 and the Giro d’Italia 2021 stand out. The INEOS Grenadiers cyclist is convinced that this season he can once again be one of the great protagonists of the peloton in competitions most important on the ICU calendar.

Her first contest of 2023 was San Juan Tower, however, during the first stage, he took a fall, which caused discomfort in his left knee. Despite this, the Colombian tried to continue in the competition, he placed fourth overall, but in the fourth stage he decided to retire. These discomforts also prevented him from participating in the national road championships in Bucaramanga and the Vuelta a Andalucía.

He January 24, 2022, Egan Bernal went out to train early in the morning with several members of the INEOS Grenadiers and the Colombian cyclist set himself the goal of improving his time in the time trial, for this reason he used bikes and helmets which are usually used in this type of race. For this reason, the Colombian, who had his head down trying to improve the aerodynamics at the time, did not notice a bus stopping in front of him, so he gave him a hard time.

The Tour de France champion suffered more than 20 fractures and lost his life narrowly due to the severity of the injuries caused by the accident. Egan Bernal was quickly treated and transferred to a medical center where he had to undergo several surgeries. The risk that the Colombian could no longer walk was very high, however, the national runner was able to cope on his own.

In a recent interview for the magazine HELLO !, The Colombian recalled what happened at the time of his accident and how his recovery went. “It ranged from being at the pinnacle of cycling, preparing for one of the most important races in the world, the Tour de France, and Next minute I don’t know if I’ll walk again”, assured the Colombian runner.

Another of the difficult moments experienced by the Colombian runner was when his mother, Flor Marina Gómez, was diagnosed with breast cancer. This happened alongside his recovery from the serious accident he suffered at the start of 2022, and the Tour de France champion said that, “It felt like I had my feet on the ground again.”

For now the Colombian rider is still unable to compete, his defeat on the National Road and in the Tour of Andalusia has generated a huge intrigue about his current physical condition. The next race I was going to participate in is the Paris-Nice, competition in which they will also be Jonas Vingegaard there Tadej Pogacar, the last Tour de France champions, however, the Bogotá native’s presence is unconfirmed and there is every indication that he could also miss the race due to knee discomfort.