The evolution of the Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal surprises more every day. After 94 days of the accident, the Ineos team runner is in good condition and has overcome the delicate injuries he suffered on January 24 last.
The doctor Gustavo Uriza, the spine surgeon and who attended him from the moment of the accident when he crashed into a bus that was stopped next to the Bogotá-Tunja road, he revealed the progress in the cyclist’s recovery and even dared to give a date for his return to competition.
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“A first for us. We did control scans of Egan’s spine. I want to tell you that the odontoid fracture is completely consolidated and how it was done with a transodontoid screw, then there is no involvement of the craniocervical junction; that is to say, he is cured of the fracture”, the doctor said in a virtual conference of the National Academy of Medicine.
And he added: “Of the dislocation T5 T6, the CT shows consolidation of the fracture, bone callus in front where it was dislocated, I put a box to give it space between the two vertebrae. There he has a big bone callus. And the joints of the vertebrae above and below the fracture are preserved, function well, and all the rib fractures, the costal ones, are healed with bone callus”.
The doctor, who explained step by step from when he was informed about the cyclist’s accident by the staff of the University Clinic of La Sabana, pointed out that from day 120 of the accident (May 24) he can return to racing.
“I think Egan can torque, step up on the pedals and start racing fit. Their coaches in Europe must already give the go-ahead, but that’s the news from me”, he commented.
Bernal confirmed that he will travel to Europe today. He will be in Monaco and next to his father, Germán Bernal, He will continue his training, but he did not give any hint of returning quickly to the competition.
The 25-year-old cyclist asked Ineos, the British squad, for permission to travel to Europe after presenting EB Project, his new project, with which he seeks to help young figures of Colombian cycling.
“I want to get a number now. I will ride the bike. My dad will be on the bike, he will accompany me. I am that I run; for me, I would do it already, ”he said.
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Nevertheless, Uriza has told him not to compete this year, but Egan Bernal warned that it is a serious issue and that he is “discussing” it with the doctor.
The current champion of the Giro d’Italia has had an accelerated recovery. He was only hospitalized for 13 days in the clinic, which he left on February 6, after overcoming five operations.
The technician spoke
The information given by the doctor Uriza is very important, because the world of cycling, especially in Colombia, is still pending Bernal’s evolution and his return to international competitions. His companions also hope that this will happen soon.
Even, Daniel Martínez, recent winner of the Vuelta al País Vasco, also from Ineos and the most important Colombian cyclist so far in the international seasonhoped that the return of the 2019 Tour de France champion would be soon:
“It would be nice to see him at the Tour of Spain. The truth is that his recovery has been admirable ”, noted yesterday.
EL TIEMPO contacted Darío Cioni, one of the members of the technical staff of the Ineos group, who confirmed that he has no confirmation of the possible return of the Colombian to the roads. “Technically we are not aware that Egan Bernal is going to compete at the end of May,” Cioni said.
The technician was surprised when asked about it. “He should arrive in these days at our headquarters in Monaco. There he will be evaluated by the team’s staff and details of his clinical condition can be known “, the counselor added.
What was known is that once it is valued by the medical part of the structure of the British team in Europe, Bernal will continue the rehabilitation in a specialized center in France.
The cyclist, for his part, knows that he must go step by step, without doing crazy things. When asked about what he would look like in a year, he was clear in saying that it is unpredictable how his form will be and that what he imagines is running a big: “Yes, I see myself running, at least, one of the big three (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France or Vuelta a España). Sure, I look totally recovered and I hope I don’t have pain. It’s complicated, because you have to work hard to strengthen your body,” he said.
Egan noted that the ideal would be to return to being a competitive cyclist, but what his future performance will be is unpredictable: “I don’t know if I’m going to get back to the level I was before to be able to win one of those big races. At least, I think and I want to try to be a gregarious, help and be able to be at that level, “ counted.
Unlikely
Nevertheless, it is unlikely, if not impossible, that he will run soon. Bernal is still recovering, he walks leaning on a cane and although he has improved, his physical condition is not ideal.
The cyclist goes out to ride a bicycle, that has been seen, but he does not practice thoroughly, they are not demanding, they are not the ‘apocalypse’, as he himself has called long training sessions, five, six or more hours, you can’t do them right now.
His physical condition is not good. To return to the competition you have to be almost one hundred percent, but Bernal has burned a stage, he is not in shape.
Ineos cannot afford to ‘rehearse’ with him either. It is one of the best teams in the world and it cannot endanger the health of its athlete, it cannot risk what it has earned.
Bernal has received a medical discharge, he can run from May 24, but One thing is that he is fit for that and another is that his condition is ideal to return to racing.
Not even he himself has dared to say that he will return to the competition on the dates that are said, he has not said it. He notices that he wants to do it now, but he knows that he cannot, that he must wait a little longer. He sees himself in a distant time in some test and he doesn’t know how he will get there either.
Cioni, after consulting this Editorial House, does not have it in the accounts either. His would have been like that, surely his response would be different. The technical part knows its real state, that is why it is not even according to its plans that it return to the road.
Surely what is happening is very good, may his rehabilitation be successful, go quickly and well, but one thing is that his injuries have been overcome and another that he is fit to ride his bike and integrate a lot.
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