Tour Recap

If you followed the Tour de France this year, you know it was one of the most exciting in recent memory. Crashes, altered routes, snow and sleet, as well as temps over 40 Celsius all contributed to the drama that made up the 106^th running of Le Grande Boucle. In Bernal’s sophomore effort, he generally held back and supported teammate and defending champion, Geraint Thomas.

A Chance Injury

Bernal might have missed out on a podium chance entirely this year if he hadn’t broken his collarbone in May during a training exercise. He had been preparing for his debut Team Leader position for the Giro d’Italia 2019. However, the injury changed his focus to the Tour de France instead, where he would be third in the Ineos pecking order behind Thomas and 4-time Tour de France Champion, Chris Froome.

When Froome crashed out midway through the Critérium du Dauphiné, Bernal was propelled from super-domestique to co-leader in a heartbeat.

2019 Tour de France Performance

Fast forward to the Tour de France. Bernal was in the top 10 from Stage 2 on, and had climbed to second in the GC rankings, just 4 seconds ahead of Thomas, when the peloton came to the great equalizer, the mountain stages. The plan for Stage 19 was to send Bernal up the mountain to make space between Team Ineos and GC leader Julian Alaphilippe. No one knew that on the other side of the mountain, the road had been nearly washed away by freak storm of snow and hail near Val-d’Isère on the final ascent to Tignes. Race officials had no choice but to amend the stage, taking times from the summit of the Col de l’Iseran as the official ranking. Bernal was now 45 seconds in the lead.

He kept the Yellow Jersey through a much shortened 20^th stage and the next day, crossed the finish line as the first Latin American to win the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées, hand in hand with Geraint Thomas, who placed 2^nd overall.

Bernal also won the White Jersey awarded to the best rider under 25. But he wasn’t simply the best Young Rider in the competition, he was the youngest winner in 110 years. The potential for this kid is extremely exciting for all those interested in cycling.

Bernal Background

Growing up, Bernal got into cycling thanks to his dad, who raced amateurly and would take the boy out on adventures through the mountains of Zipaquirá, near Bogota, Colombia. His love of the sport started with mountain bikes and he was hooked after entering a local competition (against his father’s wishes) and winning easily. He began making the podium at more and more mountain biking competitions as a teenager and caught the attention of an Italian professional competitor, who alerted Gianni Savio, manager of the Androni-Sidermec-Bottecchia cycling team. Even though Bernal had never raced on the road, Savio spotted the talent immediately and signed the 19-year old to a four-year deal.

Perhaps part of the reason Savio snapped Bernal up so quickly is one of the keys to Egan’s success: his astronomical VO2 Max reading. This measures how quickly your lungs, heart, and muscles can process oxygen during intense physical exercise. At 19 years old, Bernal registered 88.8 mL/kg/min. For reference, a reading of over 55.9 is considered superior for men aged 13-19. The highest recorded VO2 Max reading came from Bjørn Dæhlie, a cross-country skier whose Max reached 96 mL/kg/min.

Egan grew up at around 2,652 meters above sea level and because there is less air to consume at higher altitudes, his lungs adjusted. This, no doubt, contributed to his exemplary VO2 Max result.

The Big Time

Egan Bernal had skipped the junior level of competing and jumped straight into the professional realm with Team Androni-Sidermec-Bottecchia, but it would not last long. The word on him was out and that’s when he garnered the keen stare of cycling superpower, Team Ineos (then Team Sky). Manager David Brailsford, like Savio, was enamored by Egan and his raw talent and dedication. In 2017, Brailsford signed the young Colombian to an unprecedented 5-year contract. Keep in mind that even the likes of Chris Froome and Peter Sagan typically only sign for 3 to 4 years.

Colombia’s Love of Cycling

Egan comes from a country that simply loves to get out on a bike. There is a cycling culture in Colombia that is as strong as the mountains are high. We’ve seen some incredible athletes come out of Colombia like Efraín Forero Triviño, the first of the so-called “escarabajos”, or beetles. It was Triviño who created the Vuelta de Colombia. Mountain passes like El Páramo de Letras beckon riders from all over the world.

This is where Egan cut his teeth, so to speak. This year’s Tour de France featured several hard working, talented, Colombian escarabajos.  In fact, 3 of the top 10 finishers were Colombian.  Rigoberto Uran and Nairo Quintana placed 7th and 8th, respectively, in the overall General Classification.

What’s Next?

The world is now aware that the young phenom Egan Bernal is here to stay.  And he can’t stay off the road long these days. He is set to enter the Clásica San Sebastián, which will start just a week after the conclusion of the Tour de France. The cycling world knows how special this young athlete is, and even his teammates can’t wait to see him continue to improve and compete.

“He could become one of the greatest ever. Froome is probably the best Grand Tour rider at the moment with his record and consistency but I think Egan can be just as good, or even improve.” –Geraint Thomas, Team Ineos