The Colombian Egan Bernal won the Giro in 2021, his last great success before a life -threatening accident. Now he seems to be again performed in performance where he was four years ago. Another advantage: An operation released him from back pain last year, which has plagued him since childhood.
This Giro d’Italia delivers amazing pictures. Team Ineos Grenadiers, who slipped into the rear midfield of cycling with a total of 14 wins last season, prepared attacks in terms of school. They happened, as if they wanted to copy the early attacks of the new dominator Tadej Pogacar, even very early in the race.
From Monte Grappa on Sunday it was about 100 km to the finish to Asiago. And a few days earlier, at the Alpe San Pellegrino, the highest peak of the Apennin, it was still 90. Ineos already formed the classic mountain train that was known from the times of the four-time tour de France winner Chris Froome-and which at that time caused a lot of boredom at the Grand Tours. Zak Dempster, sporting director at the British, also announced this Giro with a sarcastic smile: “We want to spread a lot of terrible boredom in the overall classification.”
Action instead of boredom
Of course, the opposite happened. Yes, Bernal’s teammates prepared. And the captain completed, tore a gap with an explosive start. However, this brought movement into the rather static game of the classification drivers. It also showed who was good in shape: the man in Rosa, the Mexican Isaac del Toro, was immediately on the rear wheel of the Colombian. The Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz needed a few meters more. The current total of Simon Yates had to do tedious aftermath, but he also came up.
Anyone missing was Primoz Roglic. The Slovenian still laboratories on its fall injuries. So far, it is unclear whether he will continue after the day of rest. “We want to enliven the race, we want to show that we are there” Bernal justified his action with a happy laugh.
Tedious convalescence
He is happy with this Giro to finally be able to show services again. For three years he was more or less patient after his horror crash in January 2022. “He could have died. It is admirable and inspiring how he came back, always believed in himself”his sporting director Zak Dempster looked back over the past few years.
Bernal himself enjoys the moment. “You know it is the first time that I run in my career without back pain”he said a small grape of journalists at the finish of the 15th stage in the Asiago cheese site. “That plagued me as a child. Thanks to the operation last year, this is now over. It is the first Grand Tour ever to contest” without back pain “he beamed. After three years in which he was mostly only in the group, he can finally attack and help his team, he said.
New philosophy at Ineos
Bernal’s health comeback falls exactly in the period when his team is also reoriented. After the past unusually unsuccessful year, a lot was changed to the former industry leader. “The others are now ahead. We have to catch up. That is why we have also changed our philosophy. We want to do attractive cycling”, “ said Dempster, one of the new ones in the sporting management. This includes the early attacks.
Ineos was also active on the gravel stage in Siena, but could not take the fruits of the work with Bernal. “In the end, something was missing”, “ the Colombian, who arrived at least in the top 10, confessed in the middle of the first chase group from the new overall leading Isaac del Toro. Four years ago, in his Giro victory in 2021, Bernal had won the gravel stage at that time with a formidable start.
Dempster now sees him again at the level that he had in his 2019 Tour de France victory and the Giro victory in 2021. “At least that’s the feedback of the trainers that we get. In training, he has been producing these values for a long time. In the race it has been something else so far”said the Australian, who was also active as a driver at the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s predecessor team, at that time.
For the first time, Bernal managed to show the training values in competition at the beginning of the year. In February he became national champion in the time trial and in the street race. On the catalonia tour – the Primoz Roglic won in a gripping duel with Juan Ayuso – he became overall sieve. “That gave me self -confidence”, he looked back.
Tactics of permanent fatigue
The fact that he now dares the long attacks, calls his team together early on, is not only due to the new philosophy of the former boring racing team from the British Isles. The tactics are also based on an analysis of the strengths of Bernals. “His greatest quality is the resistance to fatigue. He is also superior to del Toro. So you have to tire the others. And that only goes over time”, “ said Dempster of the sports show. Further early attacks from the fatigue fighter Bernal can be expected for the third week. He has to make up for 3:38 minutes on del Toro. He has already won a first big win: in the fight against the injuries and setbacks of the past three years.