Egan Bernal takes next step in recovery at team altitude camp
Bernal set to join handful of teammates in Andorra this week, date for racing return still to be confirmed.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Egan Bernal will join teammates for an altitude camp in Andorra this week.
Ineos Grenadiers representatives confirmed to VeloNews on Monday that Bernal is set to head to altitude Tuesday in what marks a significant step forward in the recovery from his shocking crash this winter.
Bernal is believed to be joining Pavel Sivakov, Laurens De Plus, Ethan Hayter, and Carlos Rodriguez, who are set to perch at thin air for up to three weeks in anticipation of their possible push on the Vuelta a España.
It will mark Bernal’s first team camp since his crash in January. Ineos Grenadiers informed VeloNews that Bernal does not yet have a scheduled date for returning to racing.
Also read: Bernal on recovery: ‘I never thought I would get back on the bike’
Bernal does not make his training data public but is active in posting video and photos from his riding. Recent posts show the 25-year-old testing his sprint and more recently his climbing out of the saddle.
“Do it, and if you’re afraid, then do it with fear,” Bernal wrote on a training grab last week.
Bernal, winner of the 2019 Tour de France and last year’s Giro, returned to training late March after suffering a heavy catalog of injuries in a collision with a parked bus while training in January.
The Colombian climber ace is under contract with Ineos Grenadiers through 2026 in what is an always brimming leadership stable at the British squad.
The 36-year-old veteran Geraint Thomas is flying high at the Tour de France and has one more year on the books with the team he’s raced for since 2010. Thomas’ Tour co-captains Daniel Martínez and Adam Yates are signed through 2023 and 2022 respectively.
VeloNews reported earlier this summer that former Giro champion and Olympic star Richard Carapaz is slated for a ride with EF Education-EasyPost next season, offering added opportunities for Bernal when he returns to the peloton.
