Egan Bernal is all but certain not to be adding a new Grand Tour podium to his collection of top placings in this year's Giro d'Italia. But nonetheless, the Colombian is certainly playing a key role in helping a Netcompany Ineos teammate get to stand alongside the widely-tipped future overall winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the podium on Sunday in Rome.
Thymen Arensman, three years Bernal's junior, is currently lying third overall after he and Bernal held steady on the Carì summit finish on Tuesday. Arensman finished fourth at 1:14 behind the ever-dominant Vingegaard, whilst Bernal clinched seventh, at 2:04.
After work from Bernal in the chase group, Arensman took off some two kilometres from the summit, followed by Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
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Vingegaard had flown the coop on the Carì climb long before then, of course. But the battle for the right to stand to next to the Dane is increasing in intensity with each summit finish, and Bernal's support role for Arensman in that fight is not just a critical one, it's one that he likes.
"It was a very explosive, tough stage - well, all the stages are hard," Bernal told Colombian media at the finish.
"But all the riders here have worked hard for me in the past, and now it's a great honour for me to have the same role for Thymen and help him get on the podium."
"It's work, but I get very emotional seeing him fight for the podium. He's such a young, talented rider, he deserves it a lot."
At 29 and a pro since 2018, Bernal's experience and ability to read a race is invaluable in any scenario, but in any case the superiority of Vingegaard makes it a very clear situation.
“I think it was easy to know what we have to do, like it's super difficult to follow Jonas,” Bernal, who moved up to tenth overall himself, told Eurosport.
Thanks to their collective performance and Arensman's final attack, the Dutchman is now back onto the provisional GC podium in third. With victories in two mountain stages in the Tour last year, as well as in the Vuelta's toughest stage back in 2022 at Sierra Nevada, Bernal foresaw a bright future for Arensman, let alone a possible first Grand Tour podium finish.
“For sure, he will have a lot of good years ahead of him, too," the 2021 Giro d'Italia and 2019 Tour de France winner told reporters. And if in the meantime Bernal can help Arensman break into the top three in the Giro this May as well, then for the Dutchman and Colombian, so much the better.
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