London
After being hampered with back problems at the Tour de France and Critérium du Dauphiné, Egan Bernal has revealed the root cause of the injury – a leg problem which has had a knock-on effect. He faces several months of special gym work to treat it before a return to racing. The Colombian, who led Ineos Grenadiers at both races, pulled out of the Dauphiné after three stages as a precautionary measure ahead of the Tour. He was in contention for a podium spot – if not outright victory – heading into the Alps at Le Grand Boucle, but his challenge fell apart on the Grand Colombier, with Bernal saying “I’m screwed up on all sides” afterwards. He noted that the pain had spread to his knee but battled on for another stage, losing another 11 minutes. At that point, while lying 19 minutes down on GC, Bernal abandoned the Tour, later calling time on his 2020 season to focus on recovery from his injuries. In an interview with ESPN Colombia, Bernal said that the root cause of the injury is down to the fact that one of his legs is longer than the other. He underwent a detailed bike position check in Germany recently and is now working in the gym to strengthen his core and back muscles.—AP
