Egan Bernal upbeat and ‘back soon’ after collarbone setback
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Ineos Grenadiers' Egan Bernal was caught in a mass 10-rider crash at the Clasica Jaen on Feb 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MADRID – Former Tour de France winner Egan Bernal took his latest injury setback in his stride, after breaking a collarbone in a fall that followed swiftly on the heels of a return to form.
After winning the Colombian road race and time trial titles earlier in February, he crashed at the Clasica Jaen late in the race won by his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Michal Kwiatkowski on Feb 17.
Bernal was part of a 10-rider chase group behind Kwiatkowski when he crashed with 12km to go in the 169km race in Spain.
Bernal won the Tour de France in 2019 and the Giro d’Italia in 2021 before a brush with death in a training crash in Colombia in 2022 almost ended his career.
The 28-year-old specialist climber had not won a single race since his high-speed collision with a bus until the two national titles.
“I was feeling really strong and obviously I’m sad to have crashed but, at the same time, the way I felt during the race gave me a lot of confidence and motivation to keep working hard, the season (ahead) is very long,” he said after his discharge from hospital.
“I’ve felt very good in the three races that I have done, so I just have to keep working and I hope to be back soon.”
Ineos, meanwhile, wrote on their social media account with an update on their rider.
“Following a thorough assessment at the hospital this evening after his crash at Clasica Jaen, Egan has been diagnosed with a fractured clavicle,” Ineos said.
“He will remain under the expert care of our medical team, and a comprehensive recovery plan will be implemented to support his return to training and racing.”
Bernal had been targeting an Italian campaign at the one-day Strade Bianche and the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, before a potential tilt at a second Giro d’Italia title.
“I was really happy to start racing again in Europe, especially with my new Colombian jersey and also starting with a victory from Kwiato,” he added.
“The way we raced was great and it was really nice to be part of a strong team.” REUTERS, AFP
