Egan Bernal showed his face: clearly and bluntly, the option of winning the Tour Colombia

Egan Bernal He was leaning against the wall of the building of the Governorate of Boyacá, in the middle of Plaza de Bolívar de Tunja.

He didn't have a jacket, he only wore a cotton t-shirt identified with the team logo. Ineos. The heat was hellish. It was not as cold as it freezes the body in the capital of Boyacá.
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Straight to the point…

It wasn't difficult to approach it, although in the middle of the interview several security people came over and wanted to finish the note quickly.

“No, I want to stay here. “I want to continue here,” the champion ofl Tour de France of 2019 and Giro d'Italia of 2021 to the people who were doing their job of 'cleaning' the area near the stage where the 144 riders from 24 teams who from tomorrow will pedal for the title of the event in its fourth edition were officially presented.

It was calm. He signed autographs, took photos with the cyclists who asked him for a picture and even joked with his strong rivals, the same ones he will face in the fight for his second title in the competition. EL TIEMPO spoke with him.

What do you think of the return of the Colombia Tour?
“It is a race that has given Colombia a lot of visibility to the world. It is not only for the fact that we can compete here, but that the runners who are here can show themselves to the world.”

Why else can it be highlighted that the race returned?
“In Colombia there is a lot of talent and in this test they can demonstrate it. There are runners who can look for a springboard. “Competing next to such a special lot is important for cyclists who are starting this path.”

Why do you think the title will stay in Colombia?
“The Colombian runners are going to have an extra point, that is clear, due to the issue of height, training days, adaptation, that is important when analyzing.”

But there are foreigners who can fight it…
“Yes, it is clear that the locals are going to have an extra point, but the others have also prepared to fight. Foreign cyclists have come here who have done well and no one can rule them out.”

What's your objective?
“Enjoy. I think that's it, more than giving me a place in a general classification at the end. The truth is that I don't know how I am and it is difficult to ensure that I will finish first, second or third. The most important thing is to enjoy, as I did in the cycling Nationals, give my best and see what level I am at in order to face the race.”

But the batch of favorites is not large…
“It depends on the preparation that each one did. Many who are here on the Colombia Tour made Nationals and that gives an extra point. At this point in the season, having run a competition and having trained well, one can say that one is prepared for the fight.”

Do you have that extra point for what you did at the Nationals?
“Don't know. It is a different race and that test gave us a lot of confidence. The truth is that I don't know how I am. I hope I can recover well. It’s hard to tell you if I have that extra point or not.”

Is he another runner after the tough recovery and that performance at the road Nationals?
“Everything is different. I really want to give my best. Really, I want to enjoy and this year will be the ideal year for that. “I still don't know what I can do.”

But that display at the back of the Nationals does not make him a runner who is not well…
“It gives me a little confidence, gaining that confidence is good, but nothing, every race is different.”

But at least that effort of taking more than five minutes 60 km from the finish line says that you are fine…
“Well that's not so real. Look, just because you do a bad time trial doesn't mean you're bad, just because you've done some good Nationals doesn't mean I'm super good. “You have to have your feet on the ground.”

What do you analyze about the arrival at Alto del Vino?
“That's where the race will be defined. It's 30 kilometers uphill after a very hard area of ​​slopes, it's usually hot, and that change in climate is hard. It's hot down there and cooler up there.”

What is your biggest motivation in the test?
“I like that stage with the arrival in Zipaquirá. The last 50 kilometers are flat. It won't be a stage for me, but it's a happiness to finish it there. It is a great satisfaction that the population where I graduated has the opportunity to have a stage of this caliber.”

It will be the fourth time that Bernal does the Tour Colombia. He already knows what it is to win the race, because he did it in 2018, when he called himself Gold and Peace. It is clear that he is a candidate, even if he does not say it, and he will have the Colombia selectiondirected by Carlos Mario Jaramillo, at your service to try for your second title.
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Lisandro Rengifo
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@lisandroabel