Egan Bernal facts for kids
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Bernal in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Egan Arley Bernal Gómez | ||
| Born | 13 January 1997 Bogotá, Colombia |
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| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Ineos Grenadiers | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Climbing specialist | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Egan Arley Bernal Gómez (born 13 January 1997) is a professional cyclist from Colombia. He rides for the Ineos Grenadiers team. In 2019, he made history by winning the Tour de France. He was the first rider from Latin America to win this famous race. He was also the youngest winner since 1909. In 2021, Bernal won his second major race, the Giro d'Italia.
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Early Life and Mountain Biking
Egan Bernal was born in Bogotá, Colombia. He grew up in a town called Zipaquirá. His dad, Germán, worked at the Salt Cathedral. His mom, Flor, worked in a flower factory.
Egan's father loved cycling as a hobby. Egan started riding a bike when he was just five years old. When he was nine, he secretly entered a race in his hometown. He won easily, and his prize was a special training scholarship. He even studied at a university for a short time.
Before becoming a road cyclist, Egan was a very talented mountain biker. He won races in places like Brazil, Costa Rica, and the United States. He also won silver and bronze medals at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships for junior riders.
Becoming a Professional Road Cyclist
While mountain biking, Egan also started doing well in junior road races. He won races in Colombia and Italy in 2015.
Starting Out: 2016–2017
In 2016, Egan signed a four-year contract with the Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec team. He started racing against older, more experienced cyclists right away. He didn't go through the usual steps for young riders.
In his first year, he finished in the top 20 in several races. He won the Tour of Bihor and came in fourth in the Tour de l'Avenir.
In 2017, Egan continued to impress. He had many top ten finishes. He got his first professional wins in the Sibiu Cycling Tour. He won two stages and the overall title. He also won two stages and the overall title at the Tour de l'Avenir. Because of his amazing talent, the Team Sky team signed him for 2018.
Big Steps in 2018
Egan Bernal joined Team Sky in 2018. He started strong at the 2018 Tour Down Under. He won the young rider award and finished sixth overall. In February, he won the Colombian National Time Trial Championships. He also won the first-ever Tour Colombia race. He attacked on the last climb to secure his win.
Later that year, he won a stage in the 2018 Tour de Romandie. He finished second overall in that race. In May, he got his first big UCI World Tour win at the 2018 Tour of California. He finished more than a minute ahead of the second-place rider.
In July, Egan rode in his first Tour de France. He helped his team leaders, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas. Even though he was the youngest rider, he showed incredible strength in the mountains.
Tour de France Champion: 2019
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Egan started 2019 in Colombia. He then went to Europe and won Paris–Nice. He showed his skills in different types of terrain. He also finished third in the Volta a Catalunya. He was supposed to lead his team in the 2019 Giro d'Italia, but he broke his collarbone during training.
He recovered and returned to racing at the Tour de Suisse. He won the overall race and the toughest mountain stage.
Winning the Tour de France
Because his teammate Chris Froome was injured, Egan became a co-leader for the Tour de France. He stayed near the top of the standings throughout the race. In the final mountain stages, he attacked and moved into second place. On stage 19, he took the yellow jersey, which means he became the race leader. This happened after a strong attack on the Col de l'Iseran. The stage was cut short because of bad weather and landslides.
He kept his lead on the next mountain stage. Then, he rode into Paris to confirm his victory. He became the first Colombian and South American to win the Tour de France. He also won the best young rider award. At 22 years old, he was one of the youngest winners ever.
Egan said, "It's incredible, I don’t know what to say. I’ve won the Tour but I don’t manage to believe it. I need a couple of days to assimilate all this. It's for my family and I just want to hug them." He also said the win was for his home country: "This is not only my triumph. It's the triumph of a whole country."
Challenges and More Wins: 2020–2021
In 2020, Egan won the Route d'Occitanie. He also finished second at the Tour de l'Ain. At the Tour de France, he was doing well but had to leave the race early because of back pain.
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In 2021, Egan was a top favorite for the 2021 Giro d'Italia. He won his first major stage race stage on stage nine. He took the pink jersey, which is worn by the leader of the Giro. He extended his lead on tough stages with gravel roads and big climbs. He won another stage on the way to Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Egan held onto his lead through the final week. He secured the pink jersey on the last day in Milan. He became one of only a few riders to win both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia before turning 25. He also won the best young rider award in the Giro. Later in 2021, he rode in the 2021 Vuelta a España, finishing sixth overall.
Serious Accident and Recovery: 2022
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On January 24, 2022, Egan had a very serious training accident in Colombia. He crashed into the back of a stopped bus. He had many injuries, including broken bones and a lung injury. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. Doctors performed several successful surgeries to help him recover.
His recovery was amazing. By early March, he was already sharing his progress on social media. His coach hoped he might even return to cycling by the end of 2022. He did return to racing later that year, showing incredible strength and determination.
Recent Races: 2023–2024
In 2023, Egan continued his comeback. He finished eighth in the 2023 Tour de Romandie. He also rode in the 2023 Tour de France and the 2023 Vuelta a España. In 2024, he continued to show good form, with several top finishes in races like the 2024 Volta a Catalunya and 2024 Tour de Suisse.
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See also
In Spanish: Egan Bernal para niños
