PROMISED LAND
Eloquence isn’t the primary attribute of a Tour de France champion, but Egan Bernal’s winner’s speech on the Champs Elysées in 2019 was a striking memory. It lasted barely 70 seconds but was delivered in four languages: as well as his native Spanish, he muddled his way through some French and English, but the most memorable and impressive part was when he flicked effortlessly to Italian: “Thanks to Italy, because I grew up there, and I’m a bit Italian at heart,” he said.
Bernal was born in Zipaquirá in central Colombia, but, as a road racing cyclist, he was raised in Italy. A month-long stay in Sicily in 2015 rapidly led to a first professional contract, signed at the age of just 18, and the two subsequent years he spent living in Piemonte and racing for the Androni-Giocattoli team have left a lasting imprint. Together, they explain why his upcoming debut at the Giro d’Italia means so much to him.
“I have a very special feeling towards Italy,” Bernal tells Procycling. “I lived there for two years and made many great friends. Italy was where I learned how to be a cyclist and where I learned how to be an adult. Every time I race there it’s a special feeling.”
We’re talking to Bernal towards the end of Tirreno-Adriatico, where he’ll finish fourth to round out an earlyseason Italian block after podiums at Trofeo Laigueglia and Strade Bianche. Following a spell in Colombia, he’ll be back for the Tour of the Alps ahead of the
