Egan Bernal’s regular progress again in direction of the best ranges of racing took a dramatic step ahead at O Gran Camiño on Friday, ending second behind Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) on a day when the Dane launched an all-out assault on a brief however punishingly steep class 2 climb near the end.
When Vingegaard attacked, Bernal was the rider who resisted his transfer the longest, by no means taking a flip on the entrance, however holding his wheel for nearly all of the higher a part of the six-kilometre Alto de San Pedro de Licora.
Lastly dropped by the Dane, Bernal was then in a position to fend off a notably sturdy Jefferson Cepeda (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) to assert second on the road, with the 2 exchanging a quick squeeze of arms in mutual acknowledgment of their joint efforts to include Vingegaard’s devastating transfer. The workforce referred to as Bernal’s second place demonstration of “true grit in terrible circumstances” and “good driving” on their social feeds.
Bernal had already proven appreciable progress this season with a bronze medal within the Colombian Highway Race Nationals and a strong efficiency within the Tour Colombia, claiming fifth general. However second on a such a brutally-hard day of incessant rain and near-freezing temperatures within the hills of Galicia represented one other main step forwards.
When Bernal emerged later from anti-doping management, his face was nonetheless drawn with the chilly. Because the rain started to fall but once more, he was logically seeking to head for the heat of the workforce bus as rapidly as potential.
However he did inform Cyclingnews that he was “muy contento” – very happy – to have turned in such a powerful efficiency, regardless of it being very chilly. When Vingegaard attacked, even it wasn’t potential to comply with, as he succinctly put it, “I attempted”.
On a day of combined fortunes for Ineos Grenadiers, Michal Kwiatkowski was reported to have deserted the race and Ethan Hayter to have crashed whereas Carlos Rodriguez misplaced over 5 minutes.
Bernal’s efficiency, at any charge, may have given each the rider himself and the British workforce a welcome morale enhance.
