Egan Bernal: Ineos Grenadiers rider says he wants to make his Tour de France return in 2023

Egan Bernal has confirmed that he would like to return to the Tour de France in 2023.

The TdF 2019 and Giro d’Italia 2021 champion is continuing his comeback from a life-threatening crash suffered while training in his native Colombia in January last year.

The 25-year-old raced at the Tour of Denmark and the Deutschland Tour in August this year as he ramps up his preparations for the 2023 season.

He says his main ambition for next year is to be riding at the Tour after missing it in 2021 to be at the Giro.

“If everything goes well, I would like to return to the Tour,” he told Colombian radio station Caracol Radio.

“It would be an opportunity to try and do my best, whether that is just to finish, or maybe even do the GC and arrive in good shape.

“We talk about the ideal scenario. If everything goes well and I recover the strength I lost in my right leg, because I lost a lot of muscle due to the time I didn’t move, I would expect to ride an ordinary 2023 season. I have faith that it can be done.

“I’ve got eight or nine months to try and achieve it, and mentally I feel ready for that. In fact, I think the break I had to take this year will help me. So for sure, I’d like to do a Grand Tour and hopefully, that’ll be the Tour.”

Bernal says he is planning his 2023 race calendar which could include Paris-Nice, Strade Bianche and the Criterium du Dauphine before returning to the Tour for the first time since he was forced to retire through injury in 2020. But he warned: “These are only ideas and everything could change, it’ll all depend on how the season goes.”

Asked whether he could beat Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar in the Tour, he replied: “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, to go there, give it everything and then – may the strongest rider win… that’s sport.”

Bernal also expressed his desire to win one day win the Vuelta a Espana to complete his Grand Tour collection.

“The only one of the three Grand Tours I’ve yet to get,” he said.

“Personally winning all three would be great. After that I could retire happy. It’s a very tough race to win, but I’m 25 and I’ve got lots of years ahead of me.”