Egan Bernal training in Colombia(Image credit: Egan Bernal / Instagram @eganbernal)
Egan Bernal has revealed details of some gruelling recent training sessions, including a rapid seven-hour ride and a dramatic video of himself training in a downpour in which he urges his followers to ‘fight for their goals’.
After a life-threatening accident last January and a long battle for recovery from major injuries, the Colombian is aiming to return to his top form next season.
In the images posted on his social media accounts, the Ineos Grenadiers racer can be seen training in heavy rain, accompanied by his father, whom he recently described as his ‘guardian angel’, on a motorbike.
"Who am I to say this to you but… if you have an objective, no matter the conditions, no matter how far up or down the scale you are, fight for it! " the 2019 Tour de France champion says.
"No matter how badly it goes, you will be at ease with yourself and that is the most important thing."
The message sparked an appreciative response in local media, with Colombian newspaper El Tiempo headlining its story: "Egan Bernal: no limits. The terrible storm that he ‘beat’ while training."
On Tuesday, Bernal clocked a mammoth seven hours and 270 kilometres in the saddle, a ride that earned the 'apocalypse' tag he fondly reserves for the most gruelling of his training rides.
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Heading out in a group that featured Ineos Grenadiers teammate Brandon Rivera and the veteran Colombia-based Oscar Sevilla, he rode from his home in Zipaquira to Tunja and then back again in a straight line.
He stopped the clock on seven hours and one minute, with 270,22 kilometres run off at a blistering average speed of 38.5km/h, a normalised power output of 214 watts, and an energy burn of more than 4,500kj.
According to his Strava account, Bernal has averaged more than 6,000 metres of vertical climbing a week for the last four, as well as over 21 hours training a week.
Bernal is set to start his season in the Vuelta a San Juan on January 22nd. He has already expressed a desire to return to the Tour de France next summer.
"Bernal will almost certainly start at the Vuelta a San Juan, in the heat of Argentina, and Ganna will be there too," Ineos directeur sportif Matteo Tosatto told La Gazzetta dello Sport a few weeks back.
"Egan needs to build endurance and get some race rhythm, so I foresee some short stage races of five or six days to build up again: like Algarve, Ruta del Sol, Valenciana or the UAE Tour."
Many of Bernal’s European-based teammates are currently also on a training camp in Spain.
Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The Independent, The Guardian, ProCycling, The Express and Reuters.
