Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal, winner of the Tour de France in 2019, suffered a serious accident in training on Monday January 24 and underwent surgery after suffering several fractures and a “chest trauma”, said the clinic that treated him near Bogota.
According to the latest medical report, the 25-year-old cyclist was hospitalized with a fractured femur, patella and chest trauma, the University Clinic of La Sabana, where he is being treated, said in a statement.
“We hope that the spine surgery in progress can be carried out in the best way”, adds the press release, without giving more details on the severity of the injuries. The runner “has polytrauma and must undergo surgery in the next few hours”, the doctors had initially explained in a press release, according to his Ineos team.
The accident occurred in the town of Gachancipa, nearly 30 kilometers north of the Colombian capital, when the cyclist hit the back of a stationary bus, Colombian authorities said. In photographs released by local media, the runner can be seen lying on the ground, facing the back of a bus and surrounded by his teammates.
Expected on the Tour de France this summer
A few days ago, the runner had complained about the recklessness of a motorist who had failed to overturn his teammates and himself during a training outing, in a video posted on social networks.
The reigning Giro champion had planned to resume competition in France for the Tour de la Provence, from February 10 to 13. He was then to participate in particular in the UAE Tour (the tour of the Emirates), from February 20 to 26, for a taste of the Tour de France, which was to see him try to compete with the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) , winner of the Grande Boucle in 2020 and 2021.
Shortly before celebrating his 25and anniversary, on January 13, Bernal formalized the extension of his long-term contract with the Ineos team, until the end of 2026. At the same time, he confirmed the priority given in 2022 to cycling’s number one event: “I really want to return to the Tour. I jumped last year because of the Giro, I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve been on the Tour. I am very enthusiastic. »
The 2022 edition of the Tour will start on 1er July with an individual time trial stage in Copenhagen and will end on the 24th on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.