Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) has confirmed that “if all goes well,” he would like to return to the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France in 2023, the race he won in 2019.

In a lengthy interview with Colombia’s Caracol Radio, Bernal said that next y🧜ear his ideal goal is “to do it [the Tour] 𒊎and do as well as possible, and to be in good form.”

He recognised that it was difficult to be know if he would be able to beat 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) or 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), winners of the last three Tours. But he would, he s🐼aid, be determined to give it his all..

Bernal also had words of support for fellow Colombian 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Nairo Quintana🦹, currently in the throes of a court🃏 battle over a positive test for tramadol, saying he hoped things could work out for the best for him.

Bernal, 25, provided a le💛ngthy update on his current condition saying it was go💙ing well.

“They did the last surgery a month ago on my knee,” Bernal, who suffered a life-threatening accident last January 24, told Caracol Radio’s program El_vbar, “and since then I’ve been a bit on holiday, and doing some training.”

“And I’d be ready to get back into racing in January or♒ February. I didn’t expect to recover so quickly and at first, my first thoughts after the cr🔴ash were just to have a normal life, not to be a  pro cyclist again or even ride a bike.”

“Then that second option became pos꧙sible.”

Rather than Ineos Grenadiers raising expectations too quickly as he made progress in his comeback, he said, “It’s been me that’s put myself un♛der pressure."

"They said I could take it easy, but it was me that said ‘no if I want to get back being at my top level, to try and win the Tour again, I have to start moving again. I live for sport, I live for cycling💞 and it’s me that’s put myself under pressure.”

Having ridꦡden a number of races in the summer and late autumn, Bernal said that ment♎ally this had helped him considerably to get back into the peloton and help the team even if he wasn’t at the best level.

“More than anything I wanted to see if I was still scared after the accident and in 🌞the first few kilometres I did get very nervous. It was like💙 riding my first race again. But then I got over that.”

Next year, he said, “and always assuming everything goes f🌊ine, and i♓f I recover the strength I get back fully in my right leg, which was the most affected, I would start 2023 as a normal rider. And I’d like to go back to the Tour.”

“I’ve got eight or nine months to try and do that, and mentally I feel ready for that. In fact, I think the break I had to take this year will help me.ꦺ”

“So 100 percent I’d like to do a Grand Tour and hopefully that’ll be the Tour.&rd𝓀quo;

Looking back, looking ahead

Bernal has had an exceptionally tough year, not just with his accident but also with his mother have to fight against cancer, from which she is thankfully in the process of recovering. But his difficu♔lt year has, he said, highlighted for him the massive importance of his family in his life and being able toꦬ give them his support and count on their support too. He also once again thanked his team for all their backing. Returning to the question of sport, he said he was untroubled by reports that Ineos Grenadiers might be looking to boost their GC options in the future alongside his own.

“It’s normal. What team in the world would not like to have the Tadej Pogacar of the day, or the Remco [Evenepoel], really strong🤪 riders? All teams would like to have really strong riders.”

“[Teammates] 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Geraint Thomas finished third in the Tour de France this year, we’ve got Carlitos 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:[Carlos] Rodriguez who could be up for winning a Grand Tour next year for sure. We’ve got some great riders as well.” He later namechecked fellow Colombian 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Dani Martínez as a rider with a future Gr🐬and Toཧur victory in his legs.

In terms of a possible race program, Bernal said that the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vuelta a San Juan in January in Argentina was one option, the Tour Colombia in February another, should the race finally go ahead. Beyond that, he is thinking about doing the Colombian Nationals, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Paris-Nice and Strade Bianche, perhaps the Criterium du Dauphine. “But these are only ideas and everything could change,” he warned. “It’ll all d𝓡epend on how the season goes.”

Asked directly if he could beat Evenepoel, Vingegaard and Pogacar in the Tour, Bernal told Caracol Radio that he did not know, and that the early part of the season would help show wha💟t his underlying condition was like.

Weighing up his options, he added, “It goes without saying that they are very strong, ⛦but I have faith and I’ve won a Giro and a Tour myself. It would be a very interesting Tour, t🥀o go there, give it everything and then - may the strongest rider win…that’s sport."

Bernal also added that he was determined at some point to try and win the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vuelta a España, "the only one of the three Grand Tours I've yet to get. Pe♋rsonally winning all three would be great. After that I could retire happy. It's a very tough race to w𒈔in, but I'm 25 and I've got lots of years ahead of me."