Egan Bernal told reporters that the 2021 Giro d’italia as is “option number one.” A Leadership Role Is still In Question.
Unsure of whether or not he will be sharp enough to lead Team INEOS Grenadiers at the 2021 Giro d’Italia Egan Bernal said he’s rather keen to start the race. In 2019 Egan Bernal was set to lead team Sky at the Giro d’Italia before he suffered a crash in training that removed him from the race. Later that year, Egan Bernal went on to be the first Colombian rider to eve win the Tour de France.
While the Tour de France is the biggest race on the calendar in terms of media exposure it’s not necessarily the best-suited race for top climbers. The climbs in the Tour de France are traditionally less steep, and at lower altitude compared to the climbs of the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta Espana. This parkour makes it that much more difficult for a pure climbing specialist like Egan Bernal to gain time on his competitors. Somebody like Bernal needs those steep sections at high altitudes to crack others.
altitudesWith that in mind, the high altitude and steep pitches of the 2021 Giro d’Italia might be growing in the appetite of the of Egan Bernal. While the course profile of this year’s Giro has still yet to be announced, the race is almost guaranteed to feature a tough series of climbs at high altitude. This is where the pure climbers can crush the bigger, more time-trial-centric GC riders.
2020 was not an ideal year for Egan Bernal as he ran into some health problems with Scoliosis in his spine. After working with specialists in a number of countries, Egan feels that his recovery is on track. Bernal said that he’s “finally starting to feel like a cyclist again.” Having been out of competition for 4 months now, Bernal is eager to start racing. The competition at the Giro without the pressure of a defined leadership role could be what the GC star needs to re-ignite his winning ways.
An interesting part of this story is that the favorite to win the 2021 Giro d’Italia, Remco Evenepoel, is also on his way back from a serious injury. Just this week we announced that Remco had to take a month off the bike again in his recovery process, but that he still plans to target the Giro [View Article]. With the 2021 Giro route being still unsolidified, it’s tough to say at this point whether or not the course will suit Remco as well as last year’s edition did.
If the 2021 Giro d’Italia is as time trial focused as the 2020 edition than it will make for a very interesting GC battle. While many riders are still yet to confirm their Giro Startlist, 2x Giro winner Vincenzo Nibali has confirmed that he will be back to pursue his 3rd title. However, if the parkous is more climbing focused, like we have seen in other editions of the Giro, we could see somebody like Bernal playing an opportunistic role in what will surely be an absolutely stacked Ineos Greneadiers team.
This brings us to our next question; If Bernal is riding as a support rider, who will lead at the 2021 Giro for Ineos Grenadiers? Well one this is for sure, Ineos won’t have a hard time finding a race leader at any grand tour this year. Between Richie Porte, Richard Carapaz, Gertain Thomas, Adam Yates, Daniel Martinez and of course Tao who won the 2020 Giro, Ineos has the deepest roster in terms of grand tour options in pro cycling. So totally plausible for Bernal to use the Giro as a personal preparation for his own 2021 Tour de France Aspirations.
Our Predictions:
Scenario A: If the course features long time trials, Richie Porte will lead the team and win the 2021 Giro.
Scenario B: If the course features tons of high altitude steep mountain top finishes, Richard Carapaz and Daniel Martinez will be getting the job done for the Ineos Grenadiers squad.
Be sure to stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the 2021 Giro d’Italia here at Pro Tour Cycling