Egan Bernal scores first victory since life-threatening accident with Colombian time trial title

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) claimed his first race win since suffering a life-threatening accident in 2022, emerging victorious in the elite men’s time trial at the Colombian National Championships in Bucaramanga on Thursday.

Bernal had considered giving up his professional cycling career following the accident in which he rode head-first into a stopped city bus while training on his time trial bike. However, he slowly worked his way back into race fitness over the past two seasons.

“1347 days and a lot has happened since my last win, today NATIONAL TT CHAMPION,” said Bernal in a social media post. “I thought about retiring several times but one day I promised that if I won again, the first one would be dedicated to God for giving me a second chance at life.

“A lot of people are a part of this process and today I just want to say thank you.”