In response to rumours that he would compete in the Tour de France this July after finishing the Giro d’Italia, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) has stated that he will not be racing in that event and that he is also unlikely to compete in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo due to concerns about overloading his back muscles.
Is Egan Bernal in The 2021 Tour De France
As of right now, Bernal is in complete control of the Giro d’Italia. He has been in the lead for over a week, and he has won two crucial mountain stages. He leads Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) by a comfortable 2 minutes and 24 seconds, and it appears that the Ineos Grenadiers are the best team and will be able to manage the rest of the race.
Bernal said on Tuesday morning, before taking a day off from training in the Dolomites, that he would only compete in the Olympics if he felt comfortable putting additional strain on his long-standing back injury.
After claiming that Ineos Grenadiers already had a strong line-up for July, he virtually ruled out participating in the Tour de France. Depending on how well Bernal’s back heals after the Giro d’Italia, he may include the Vuelta a Espaa in his schedule for the rest of the season.
When asked about joining the Tour de France, Bernal responded, “I think I won’t go there, I think men who are presently in the Tour team can do extremely well.”
“I’d rather save my energies for the second half of the season, when I might even consider riding La Vuelta. My back is still bothering me, so I can’t say for sure if I’ll be participating in the Olympics.”
Including 2018 champion and 2019 runner-up Geraint Thomas, former Giro d’Italia champions Tao Geoghegan Hart and Richard Carapaz, and 2020 Tour podium finisher Richie Porte, Ineos Grenadiers already have a dauntingly powerful line-up for the 2021 Tour de France.
Bernal Stated That it was Feasible, Though Conditional, For Him To do The Giro And Tour De France Double in The Future.
“Wow, thanks for saying that; that means a lot (I could win the Tour and the Giro in the same year). In large part, it would be determined by the routes taken in each and my level of recuperation in the meantime. I need to have a serious discussion with the group, as I will require their full backing. But I need to concentrate on winning the Giro this year; perhaps next time I’ll be more prepared.”
Although Bernal’s back injuries from last year’s Tour de France had not completely healed, he found that the pain was significantly less severe as each stage of the Giro advanced.
I’m not going to lie, it still hurts me occasionally, and it hurts more in the beginning than it does at the end of the stages, he admitted.
“This could be having an effect on my lower back, and that scares me. But we are doing physiotherapy every day, so I’m optimistic that it will hold up for the duration of the race and that the pain won’t suddenly become intolerable. As a result, I think we can rest easy until then.”
Because of his back problems, however, he was unusually hesitant to make any more plans related to the Olympics. He claimed that he did not want to put any extra strain on his body in order to compete at his best in Tokyo.
He added emphatically, “If I can see I’m not at 100 per cent and I would hurt myself to do it, then I will not go.”
Bernal and the Ineos Grenadiers have been able to control his back issue to the point where he can race at his full potential. He speculated that it was due to Xabi Artetxe, the team’s coach, and his meticulously organised training regimen.
Between March’s Tirreno-Adriatico and May’s Giro d’Italia, when he might have raced, Bernal opted to train in Colombia instead.
Bernal credits Artetxe, his trainer, for helping him make the correct calls at the appropriate times.
