One of the world cycling excellence competitions: the 2023 Tour de France, will have one of its champions, Egan Bernal. The Colombian won the 2019 edition and was confirmed by his Ineos Grenadiers squad to take the start this Saturday, July 1, with the first stage of 182 flat kilometers in Bilbao, Spain.
“Returning to the Tour has always been an important goal for me. I am very excited to be able to relive every kilometer of this race. Being part of this year’s Tour team ensures that I am on track to return to my best level.” explained the 26-year-old cyclist to ESPN.
For this Tour, he will be accompanied by Daniel Martínez, also a Colombian (a fundamental domestique for the Giro d’Italia title), as well as Jonathan Castroviejo, Omar Fraile, Michal Kwiatkowski, Tom Pidcock, Carlos Rodríguez and Ben Turner.
“This is an occasion to show my gratitude and commitment to the team that continuously supported me at all times, to thank each person who has helped me, from the nurses who took care of me in the hospital, the doctors, my friends, family and Ineos teammates”, he added.
Recovered from his 2022 accident while training on roads near Bogotá, Bernal shows strength and optimism in his return to high competition in Europe. The deputy director of the team Rod Ellingworth, highlighted the return of the Colombian with this assessment.
“The whole team is really excited for Egan. His recovery is a demonstration of his character and resilience, and the extraordinary effort he has put in over the past 18 months.
“Of course, as a previous winner, he brings invaluable insight and a winning attitude to the group. His grit and determination sum up who we are as a team, and all of our riders will benefit from his Tour experience,” he said.
The Colombians Egan Bernal and Daniel Martínez are part of the eight cyclists with whom the Ineos team will compete in the 2023 Tour de France, which will begin this Saturday, July 1, with the first stage on a flat circuit through Bilbao, Spain. It will have 21 days ending on the 23rd of the month in Paris.
Source: ESPN, Revista Mundo Ciclístico, Agencias de Noticias