Former Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, 25, has apparently suffered serious injuries in a training accident in his native Colombia and will require surgery later on Monday.
This was announced by the treating doctors a few hours after Bernal’s admission to the clinic as a result of a collision with a bus. Accordingly, “a polytrauma” makes the intervention of the doctors necessary.
Bernal’s British Ineos Grenadiers team described the condition of their star as “stable” after being admitted to the hospital. In the corresponding message, the injuries of the Giro d’Italia winner were only described as “lacerations and cuts”.
Ineos Grenadiers initially did not provide any further information on the accident in Gachancipa, around 30 km from the capital Bogota. However, according to local transport authorities, the 2019 Tour winner crashed into a bus when the vehicle stopped at a bus stop.
Photos from the scene of the accident circulated on social media. In the pictures, Bernal can be seen lying on the ground and surrounded by his teammates, as well as a dent in the back of the bus.
Bernal wanted to focus on the Great Loop
Bernal recently prepared for the upcoming season with parts of his team in his home country. Just a few days ago, the South American and his colleagues narrowly escaped an accident during a training drive when a vehicle that had obviously gotten out of control sped towards the group of drivers and the group was able to avoid it with difficulty.
The crash at the beginning of the week set Bernal back in setting goals for the upcoming competitions. When he can sit in the racing saddle again is initially open. Bernal had announced big goals at the beginning of the year. He wants to return to the Tour, he said after extending his contract with Ineos Grenadiers until 2026.
Bernal was in 2020 for the last time in the Tour of France, a year after his surprise success. Due to a back injury, however, he had to give up early and thus buried his hopes of successfully defending his title. Last year, Bernal decided not to start at the Grand Boucle, instead he started at the Giro d’Italia – and won it for the first time.
Until his accident, Bernal wanted to focus on the Great Loop again. “I’ve signed for the best years of my life,” said Bernal when announcing the continued collaboration with his team.