“Miracle” Bernal: 47 days after the accident he is already in the saddle and working for the return

At the Tirreno-Adriatico these days there was also Xabier Artexte. Basco, 42, has worked with Sky / Ineos for several years and is the coach of, among others, Egan Bernal. It is natural to ask him about the pink jersey in charge, who is continuing his rehabilitation in Colombia after the training accident on January 24 in which, crashing into a stationary bus with the time trial bike at 65 per hour, he risked his life, and to remain in a wheelchair (he had broken about twenty bones). With one question above all: could the 25-year-old Colombian be seen again in the group before the end of this season?

“If we were to think of the standard times to recover, the answer would be no – says Artexte -. But Egan is a top-level sportsman and his recovery skills are also above average. I would not reject this possibility even without setting it as a fixed goal, it is an option that exists. Why not? He is working to get back as soon as possible. It could be 2023, but it could also be this year’s finale. We must not exclude it, far from it “.

Steps

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The next step is to ask if we will see the Bernal from before. “I’ve always told the team doctor: yes, I have faith in this, that he will return to the highest level. I know what I’m saying has no scientific basis, because you can’t know what’s going to happen. But I see him working, and once he has reached a strong musculoskeletal stability again, maybe he will be able to correct some imbalance that was there before, be more balanced. He has a motivation, an incredible desire to return. He will also be stronger psychologically. Without forgetting that in a path like his you don’t always improve, there could be occasional small pains, moments of tiredness, a few steps backwards. Fortunately, up to now, there have been no problems ”.

Artexte was in Colombia when the accident occurred, “but I was about ten minutes from the scene, doing a lactate test with Martinez”. He now he can reveal the next steps of the rehabilitation: “The wounds have healed and so he can work in the pool, the hydrotherapy. Ride? More than anything else it depends on the back because the knee and hip are ok. Little by little, he is pedaling from a seated position now. Soon, he will not be able to go out on the street, but in the most ergonomic position possible, the most comfortable, he will be able to ride at home on an adapted bike. A cycle ergometer, we are working on it, with the appropriate measures. I have already ordered this bike “.