As previously reported on Cyclingnews, Ineos Grenadiers' Egan Bernal has decided to put an end to his 2020 season in order to recover fully from the back injury that forced him to quit this year's Tour de France, and to be ready to hit the ground running next season.
Bernal – who was the defending champion – abandoned this year's rescheduled Tour last month after stage 16, still struggling with the back injury that had forced him to pull out of the Critérium du Dauphiné in mid-August.
It was speculated that the 23-year-old Colombian might be able to recover in order to race the Vuelta a España later this month alongside Chris Froome, but Froome will now share leadership in Spain with Richard Carapaz, while Bernal calls an end to his season.
"I have been focused 100 per cent on my recovery and on a return to competition in 2021," Bernal wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday. "It's been difficult at times – I have to accept that. But it's also filled me with great motivation to work even harder, in order to feel good on the bike again, free of pain and ready to go all out once more."
After taking some time off the bike to rest following his early exit from the Tour, Bernal has apparently been in Germany for a specialist bike-fit session, and has also been working to strengthen his back in the gym.
"You learn more from the bad moments than the good ones, that's for sure," he added. "I have had several accidents during my sports career, and from each one I have learned something new about myself, and it's going to be no exception this time, I'm sure. So it's now time to get back to work."
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1