Exclusive: 'Some people thought I was dead' – Egan Bernal opens up on horror crash, dreaming of Tour de France return
:focal(136x152:138x150)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2015/11/13/1731704-36632322-310-310.png)
Published 26/01/2023 at 13:02 GMT
“Some people thought I was dead. There was a good chance that I would be in a wheelchair.” Egan Bernal admits there was a stage when riding his bike again looked a forlorn hope after his horrific crash last year. But the 26-year-old is now back in the peloton, currently competing at the Vuelta a San Juan, and still dreams of winning the Tour de France again despite the emergence of new rivals.
Look who's back! Bernal sets the pace in Denmark seven months after horror crash
Egan Bernal has opened up about his extraordinary battle to return to bike racing following a horror crash in his native Colombia in January 2022, admitting there was a “good chance” he would be left in a wheelchair.
Bernal suffered 20 different fractures – including in his spine, femur and kneecap – after smashing into a stationary bus at 40mph on his time trial bike, leaving him requiring multiple surgeries and significant medical treatment.
He said he felt “like being born again” after being discharged from hospital last February, revealing that doctors had told him he had a 95% chance of becoming paraplegic.
Instead, Bernal made an incredible return to the peloton at the Tour of Denmark in August – less than seven months after the crash he says nearly killed him – and is now targeting a return to the Tour de France, where he won the title in 2019.
Speaking to Eurosport at the Vuelta a San Juan, where the Ineos Grenadiers star is starting his season, Bernal admitted bike racing was a long way from his thoughts after the crash.
“I think today is exactly one year ago [since the crash], but to tell you the truth when I came out of surgery it was really the last thing on my mind,” he said.
“I spent many hours in the operating theatre. I was even told that some people thought I was dead, and there was also a good chance that I would be in a wheelchair, so I really didn't think I would be able to get back on a bike.
“The only thing I thought about was just living and being with my family.”
It was not a case of simply waiting for the injuries to heal. Bernal had to go through painstaking rehab to relearn basic motor skills.
“The first days you have to learn to walk again, it's super complicated,” he said.
“To be able to eat, just to wash my mouth, to be able to shower. Those were the first things I had to learn. And just to do that, it took me two months.
“So imagine if just to walk, to wash your mouth, it takes you two months, then how long it's going to take me to get back to a competitive level in a peloton... it was hours of work. But I had the support of my family, of the whole team and it was a big team effort.”
Since Bernal won his second Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia in 2021, there has been a big shift in the peloton. Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel have asserted themselves as the general classification big-hitters, with the former two set to renew their rivalry at this year’s Tour.
Evenepoel is the early favourite for this year’s Giro, having revealed his ambition to win all three of cycling’s biggest stage races, before inevitably turning his attention to yellow next year.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/07/21/3419544-69776053-2560-1440.jpg)
‘Wow’ – Vingegaard allows Pogacar to catch up after crash in ‘incredible’ gesture
Asked if he felt any frustration watching the trio tear up Grand Tours in his absence, Bernal replied: “No, no. Sometimes you shut yourself up in cycling, and think that cycling is everything. For me it's not like this.
“After the 2019 Tour de France I was obsessed with the Tour. If I didn’t win the Tour it would be the end of the world and the reality is not like this.
“After cycling I have a life, a normal life like you or any other people. Cycling is obviously a very important part of our lives, we are professionals and we love cycling but we all have a mum, a dad or someone who’s waiting at home and that’s much more important than the Tour de France.
“When you´re in this situation, it’s more precious to be alive. When I saw Vingegaard winning the Tour I felt happy for him.
“I have my own life, and everyone is living his own situation. There was no room for frustration, I’m just grateful with life for being here and being able to do what I love the most which is riding my bike, telling my story and inspiring people with it.”
The 26-year-old insists his new perspective had not dampened his drive and is still hoping for success on the biggest stage.
“It doesn't mean I have lost my ambition and will to win, because I still want to win and I wake up every morning aiming to be the best, but if I don't make it it's fine,” he said.
“I have my family, my dog waiting at home just happy to see me – doesn't matter if I win here in San Juan or not.
“And I'm gonna give the best version of myself. I’m going to be professional. If there’s one that’s better… Remco, Pogacar, Vingegaard... they´re the best in the world. What can I do?
“What's important for me is to inspire people that maybe are suffering like I was and tell them that they can leave those moments behind.”
On his 2023 hopes, he added: “I would like to be at the Tour in a good level and give the best from myself and see how far I can go.
“I would like to do it well and that's the reason why I wake up every morning.”
- - -
Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement