Zipaquirá (Colombia) (AFP) – Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal, winner of the 2019 Tour de France, revalidated his title as road champion of his country on Sunday, a victory that shows his good recovery after the almost fatal accident he suffered.
First modification: 02/08/2026 - 20:37 Last modification: 02/08/2026 - 22:07
The 29-year-old Cóndor de Zipaquirá, also winner of the Giro d'Italia in 2021, achieved the difficult mission of defending the national road crown that he had achieved in Bucaramanga last year and which then meant his rebirth and the first victory after the brutal accident suffered in 2022.
"There are many mixed feelings, Zipaquirá is my home, it is my origin, and competing here and going through that hill that we did when we were children (...) is something very nice," said Bernal near the emblematic Salt Cathedral of which he considers his city, despite the fact that he was born in Bogotá, where he finished the race.
The challenge of almost five and a half hours covered the undulating roads of the center of the country for more than 200 kilometers and above 2,500 meters above sea level, one of the most demanding races on the calendar.
In a heart-stopping final full of fans, Bernal, from Team Ineos, won by seconds over Iván Ramiro Sosa, from the Kern Pharma team.
His recovery fuels Bernal's expectations for the grand tours of 2026.
Bernal almost died on January 24, 2022 when, during training in Colombia, he lowered his head and moments later crashed at 62 km per hour into the back of a stopped bus.
The accident left him with 20 fractures and a risk of paralysis.
Despite the fact that the forecasts pointed to the end of his career or at least of high competition, he returned to the roads a year later and since then has shown signs of improvement.
On Thursday, his friend and teammate at Ineos, Zipaquireño Brandon Rivera, won the gold medal in the time trial, a modality that Bernal had also dominated in Bucaramanga last year.
© 2026 AFP
The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.
