Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal, winner of the 2019 Tour de France and current Giro d’Italia champion, will undergo surgery in Colombia after crashing into the back of a bus while training with other Ineos-Grenadiers teammates in Colombia, near the capital , Bogota.
The practice of cycling is on many occasions a risky sport and this Monday the Colombian Egan Bernal has suffered it in the first person. At around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, news broke of an accident involving the first Latin American to win the Tour de France while training with several Ineos-Grenadiers teammates in Colombia.
Bernal, 25 years old, would have collided with the back of a bus when both were driving around the road that connects Tunja, the capital of the Boyacá department, with the country’s capital, Bogotá. The accident occurred around the town of Gachancipá, about 30 kilometers north of Bogotá and very close to the hometown of Egan Bernal, Zipaquirá.
“Vehicles were traveling in the Tunja – Bogotá direction, when a bus-type vehicle stopped to drop off a passenger and the driver of the bicycle-type vehicle, who was traveling in the same direction and along the same lane, did not observe the maneuver made by the bus-type vehicle colliding from the side. behind it, ”said the police report.
The Ineos-Grenadiers team was these days carrying out a high-altitude concentration in Colombia with Egan Bernal himself, the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, the Colombians Daniel Martínez, Brandon Rivera and Jhonatan Narváez and the Costa Rican Andrey Amador, as well as the Spaniards Omar Fraile and Carlos Rodriguez. The cyclists were accompanied at all times by team technical personnel.
Bernal will be operated on for a multiple trauma
At first, his team confirmed that the cyclist had been taken to the hospital, where he was stable and under observation. Later rumors began to arrive that spoke of numerous fractures. The Sabana University Clinic, located in the town of Chía, on the outskirts of Bogotá, where the cyclist was taken, confirmed the rumours.
“According to the results found, he must undergo surgery in the next few hours due to polytrauma: cervical and thoracic trauma, closed chest trauma, musculoskeletal trauma and trauma to the lower limbs. At the moment he presents hemodynamic stability, ”they confirmed in a statement.
Xiomara Guerrero, representative of the corridor, attended the local media at the door of the hospital. Asked about the rumors that speak of a broken femur and patella, he stated that it is not “something that can be ruled out”, although the official statement from the team will have to wait to confirm the seriousness of the injuries.
In any case, with the information known so far, it seems difficult for the Colombian to reach the Tour de France, his main objective for the 2022 season, in his best form. His first big duel with the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, champion of the event in the last two years, was expected there.
Other serious accidents in cycling with mixed results
After hearing the news, social networks were flooded with messages of support for one of the most charismatic and beloved cyclists within the current world squad. Bernal is recognized as a brave cyclist and one of the main promises, already established, of this sport. That is why there was also concern.
It is not the first strong accident of the Colombian. In the 2020 Tour he already had to leave due to severe back pain that he was dragging due to a fall suffered days before the competition. In the last Giro of 2021, in which he was crowned champion, the Zipaquirá cyclist affirmed that he was still carrying some pain.
However, his accident is more worrying compared to others that have recently occurred. Especially the one suffered by the British Chris Froome, four times winner of the Tour de France. In June 2019, the cyclist crashed into a wall at high speed when he recognized the initial time trial of the Criterium du Dauphine, prior to the Tour de France.
The Briton, who was 34 years old at the time, suffered a fractured femur, right elbow, sternum and several ribs. After recovering, he was able to return to professional cycling, although he never recovered his previous level. On the other side of the coin is the good recovery of the young Belgian Remco Evenepoel after a tough accident in 2020.
In the midst of the mythical Giro di Lombardía, Evenepoel fell off a bridge around 9 meters high. The 20-year-old at that time suffered a broken pelvis and a contusion in the right lung. After a long recovery period, he was able to recover a good part of his exceptional performance in the 2021 season, hoping to return to his best version in 2022.
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde also suffered a serious accident during the 2017 Tour de France, which resulted in a fractured patella. A year later and at the age of 38, he became world champion in Austria.
The most amazing recovery, due to the seriousness of the injuries suffered, is, however, that of the Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen. In 2020, during the sprint of the first stage of the Tour of Poland, he suffered a fall that even raised fears for his life. He suffered multiple skull fractures, a concussion, a punctured lung, part of his jaw shattered, a crushed trachea, a severed nerve to a vocal cord.
A year later, he again achieved victory in a great cycling event in the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España. The true consequences of the accident will only be known after the official statement from the team, which for the moment ruled cautiously on the event.
with local media
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