The Colombian dismisses rumours
There was a report in the Italian media in September about Egan Bernal being unhappy at Ineos Grenadiers. He was supposed to be unhappy about the team tactics at the Vuelta a España, where he shared leadership duties with Adam Yates. The Colombian finished sixth at that race. The report was picked up by the Colombian press but Bernal refused to comment until now.
“No, no, no, no. But it is not [like that], really,” Bernal said after being asked on the matter by the Spanish newspaper Marca. “With Yates I got along super well. He seems like a super calm person to me. A classy cyclist. I really liked him. I think it was the first race I did with him, and it was all great. There is no problem, really.”
“I never spoke to Israel,” he continued. “Obviously many things are said, there is news. But I didn’t want to get into that game of saying ‘I’m not leaving’. Nothing ever happened.”
The 24-year-old stated he wanted to go back to the Tour and fight for the yellow jersey. The two-year dry spell is the longest for the Ineos Grenadiers since Bradley Wiggins won their first Tour in 2012 when they were called Team Sky.
“It is true that I would like to return to the Tour,” Bernal admitted. “But I still cannot confirm it 100%. We have to wait a little longer to know the plans for everything. My idea is to go to the Tour and I don’t know if to the Giro. If it is not in 2022, I will return to the Giro very soon because it is one of the races that I like the most.
“I’ve been looking at some stages and I think it’s an interesting Tour, as always. We will have to play well strategically. We will try to do our best. I think it’s a pretty interesting Tour.”
Well, we cannot wait to see him there. If Bernal doesn’t have any back problems, it could be a Tour to remember.
“It is being a fairly long process,” Bernal revealed when asked about his recovery. “I think we are on the right track. But the important thing is that I can squeeze 100% without pain.”
Who do you think will win the 2022 Tour? Will the Colombian challenge the Slovenians?
