Cyclingflash
What is going on with Egan Bernal? Colombian fades unusually early on climb

What is going on with Egan Bernal? Colombian fades unusually early on climb

Egan Bernal seemed ready to play a leading role in the 109th Giro d'Italia based on his recent races, but so far the Colombian is not making the best impression. The Netcompany INEOS rider — who is still fourth in the general classification — had to drop from the peloton quite early today.

It all happened on the slopes of the Cozzo Tuno. On this nearly fifteen-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 6%, Movistar decided to set a hard pace. The Spanish team did this to drop as many sprinters as possible and then try for the stage win with Orluis Aular.

Under the punishing tempo from riders including Ivan García Cortina and Lorenzo Milesi, the fast men had to drop, but there were more casualties. The most notable rider to fall off was Egan Bernal. The 2021 Giro winner — still one of the contenders for the final podium — had a very bad day and had to let the front group of about forty riders go.

Fortunately for the Netcompany INEOS rider, he could count on support from his teammate Ben Turner on the descent and the flatter kilometers towards the finish. The Brit managed to lead his team leader back to the first group and then sprinted to a fourth place in the stage result.

Bernal finished with the first group and got through the day unscathed, although his performance will give him little confidence heading into the next days. Tomorrow features a tricky hilly stage to Potenza, and on Friday the first mountain stage awaits with the finish on Blockhaus. Let’s hope this is just a one-off for Bernal.