Teams & Riders The official Egan Bernal is the new Egan Bernal thread

[Escarabajo]

The photos I've seen seem to show that some riders were on TT bikes, others not. I don't think there's much use in assigning blame at this point. Most of us who ride a lot know that while motorists etc. should yield to cyclists, you also have to assume that every moving car doesn't see you and any parked car could pull out/door you at any second.

I recall driving near Nice a few years ago and saw one of the Sunweb riders on a TT bike along the beach road, and not slowly. That's crazy -- most drivers on that road are NOT paying attention to much except the scenery, plus traffic furniture, speed bumps etc.

Horrible luck for Ineos, losing their two best GT riders in the past few years to training accidents. Maybe teams need to be extra careful about training on the roads. Maybe they should just go to Mallorca or Tenerife in winter where there isn't much traffic and drivers are used to pro cyclists.

I agree with most what you said. About the bold sentence, in Colombia, motorists are very, very used to cyclists and yet they are both (cyclists and cars) at fault about many accidents that happen on the road.

 

[Escarabajo]

I need to clarify something about the assumption of being in traffic because the accident was with a bus. There are a lot of buses everywhere and also in rural areas in Colombia. The accident happened around the Tocancipa Speedway area. There is a major highway with no stop lights there. There is another highway parallel to that one on the other side. Both being in excellent conditions of pavement and probably training. This is outside Bogota. However, as it happens many times in these areas there are a ton of buses going and coming as it is the main trunk line of traffic for Bogota. It would be very irresponsible for Ineos to allow high speed training in this highway. The traffic might not be as bad in the other highway parallel to that one but the problem with the traffic with buses remain. Many of the accidents with cars, motos and cyclists happen because there is a "war for the passengers" among the buses and they cut off whoever is on the highway next to them. They don't care. Bernal and Daniel Felipe know this. When in those roads probably they should have taken it like a neutral zone. I say this without knowing who is at fault.

Training with TT bikes in Colombia is very hard unless you do it in a close circuit and made for bicycles. Doing it in isolated areas with no traffic you would have to face the tons of potholes on the road. Doing it in nice roads like the ones Bernal was using is a high risk for accidents. My 2 cents.

 

[Extinction]

I need to clarify something about the assumption of being in traffic because the accident was with a bus. There are a lot of buses everywhere and also in rural areas in Colombia. The accident happened around the Tocancipa Speedway area. There is a major highway with no stop lights there. There is another highway parallel to that one on the other side. Both being in excellent conditions of pavement and probably training. This is outside Bogota. However, as it happens many times in these areas there are a ton of buses going and coming as it is the main trunk line of traffic for Bogota. It would be very irresponsible for Ineos to allow high speed training in this highway. The traffic might not be as bad in the other highway parallel to that one but the problem with the traffic with buses remain. Many of the accidents with cars, motos and cyclists happen because there is a "war for the passengers" among the buses and they cut off whoever is on the highway next to them. They don't care. Bernal and Daniel Felipe know this. When in those roads probably they should have taken it like a neutral zone. I say this without knowing who is at fault.

Training with TT bikes in Colombia is very hard unless you do it in a close circuit and made for bicycles. Doing it in isolated areas with no traffic you would have to face the tons of potholes on the road. Doing it in nice roads like the ones Bernal was using is a high risk for accidents. My 2 cents.

Training on a TT bike most everywhere can be a perilous affair. Yet professional cyclists, especially those preparing for GC, can't escape doing so. It's just an added measure of risk to what a pro cyclist confonts on a daily basis merely to practice the profession: i.e riding on roads with cars, while traffic can't always be avoided. So fair enough about poor assessment of the risk factor on the part of Ineos and Bernal himself, but that does nothing to diminish the ever present danger inherent to a sport in which riders have to train on the same roads as cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles. Consequently, the statistical chance that eventually someone like Egan, at fault or not, will get seriously hurt is unavoidable. And when the more or less tragic accident happens you can only feel for the plight of the cyclist, unless the rider was being intentionally wreckless and harmed or killed someone else. But pro riders just don't do that while training (as one would also hope while racing).

 

[Oldermanish]

Training on a TT bike most everywhere can be a perilous affair. Yet professional cyclists, especially those preparing for GC, can't escape doing so. It's just an added measure of risk to what a pro cyclist confonts on a daily basis merely to practice the profession: i.e riding on roads with cars, while traffic can't always be avoided. So fair enough about poor assessment of the risk factor on the part of Ineos and Bernal himself, but that does nothing to diminish the ever present danger inherent to a sport in which riders have to train on the same roads as cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles. Consequently, the statistical chance that eventually someone like Egan, at fault or not, will get seriously hurt is unavoidable. And when the more or less tragic accident happens you can only feel for the plight of the cyclist, unless the rider was being intentionally wreckless and harmed or killed someone else. But pro riders just don't do that while training (as one would also hope while racing).

I totally agree.
As much as it can be mind numbing many, TTers trying to perfect position and do interval training can do it on a velodrome or smaller, closed circuit. There has to be some area with a 5-mile out and back circuit where the DS can post a car at each end.....not necessary to be on open roads with cars and assume you're duplicating any real world circuits on a TT bike. No matter at this point; wish Egan all of the luck and recovery he can muster. He had the potential to accumulate legendary GT palmares and a class rider all the way.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

While I agree that riding the Bord du Mer may not be prudent, it is sometimes unavoidable, as I know from when I lived there. But it is a driver's responsibility to look at the road not the scenery (at least not long enough to miss whats on the road). Often a cyclist gets killed while perfectly riding within the rules, because a motorist wasn't paying the hell attention. And it has become increasing evident, with more cars than ever and drivers who have lost all touch with reality, that this is the real problem.

When a bus is stopped, the driver's responsibility is that passengers can board/disembark safely, an possibly ensuring that their tickets are in order. Until the bus is ready to move again, moving vehicles should not be the driver's concern, and are certainly not his responsibility.

This is a horrible incident, but nothing is to be gained, and no loyalty to Bernal or to cycling in general is expressed, by presenting it as part of some ongoing conflict between classes of road user.

 

[BlueRoads]

Honestly, as bad as Bernal's accident sounds, I think he's going to be okay in the long term, that's what it looks like for now. I know it's not really of any use and maybe even bad taste to compare accidents, but when thinking about this one, I can't help also thinking that the fact that we haven't heard anything about Amy Pieters anymore makes me worry much more.

 

[Extinction]

When a bus is stopped, the driver's responsibility is that passengers can board/disembark safely, an possibly ensuring that their tickets are in order. Until the bus is ready to move again, moving vehicles should not be the driver's concern, and are certainly not his responsibility.

This is a horrible incident, but nothing is to be gained, and no loyalty to Bernal or to cycling in general is expressed, by presenting it as part of some ongoing conflict between classes of road user.

Spoken from the vantage of an "Armchair cyclist," but what advantage is gained by emphasizing the neglegence, supposed or otherwise, of a cyclist, when the result is universally tragic for the rider? Nobody said it was the driver's responsibility, nor is it "loyalty to Bernal and cycling" by simply empathizing for the rider's drama. Have we become so used to machines moving us around that there is no compassion for someone moving by human effort who happens to collide with a vehicle? Even if it's not the driver's responsibility to worry about whatever and whoever might run into it? That's just insane and demonstrates how our society is callously losing its humanity.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

That's just insane and demonstrates how our society is callously losing its humanity.

That's just a total misrepresentation of what I said

 

[Extinction]

That's just a total misrepresentation of what I said

Well then explain yourself better.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Calm down, take it off the forum, and PM me with an explanation of the accusation that I was "emphasizing the neglegence, supposed or otherwise, of a cyclist", in what way I demonstrated "no compassion", and how the assertion that "it is a driver's responsibility to look at the road not the scenery" is relevant to this incident, and I'll do so.

 

[Extinction]

Calm down, take it off the forum, and PM me with an explanation of the accusation that I was "emphasizing the neglegence, supposed or otherwise, of a cyclist", in what way I demonstrated "no compassion", and how the assertion that "it is a driver's responsibility to look at the road not the scenery" is relevant to this incident, and I'll do so.

No, analyze what you wrote and my response and give a coherent reply.

 

[Bonimenier]

Well then explain yourself better.

You should read and comprehend better. AC is not the problem here.

 

[lenric]

horrible
was his femur fracture comparable to Froome's?
if yes...

 

[SHAD0W93]

I hope he is able to recover outside and inside the sport of cycling. Whoever the at fault party is, it is a big blow to cycling if he is unable to return to his peak. He has had some bad luck the last few years.

 

[Pantani_lives]

I only just read the terrible news. Best wishes to Bernal for what will be a long and hard revovery. So much can be wiped away in one moment...

 

[Extinction]

You should read and comprehend better. AC is not the problem here.

No, and my reading comprehension skills are quite fine thank you. He took issue with me for supposedly "presenting it as part of some ongoing conflict between classes of road user," which I did not. And to have inferred otherwise is rather stupid. In fact, if anyone was doing so it was someone else. I mearly pointed out that irregardless of whose fault it was, it is crass to have no empathy for Bernal. To then imply that I was turning it into some clash between riders and motorists shows no level discernment whatsoever or compassion. Evidently you don't get it either.

 

[Kazistuta]

No, he responded in the wrong context and, from your reply, you don't get it either.

Maybe YOU actually are the one responding in the wrong context, have YOU analyzed and considered that? Or does it just confirm your beliefs on societys humanity that you're actually on your own in this total misinterpretation?

 

[stonerider]

With his back condition caused by leg length discrepancy, I didn't believe Bernal was ever going to live up to the early promise I had hoped after he won the TdF. Yes he won the Giro last year but it had a subpar field of GC contenders. He looked nowhere near as strong as Pogacar or Roglic. And he didn't even appear as consistent as someone like Carapaz. I never expect to see Bernal back at the top of the sport. I just hope he can recover to have a nice quality of life.

 

[noob]

No. Now I have tolerance for stupidity, but not for those who take pride in being stupid.

I think we all process emotions differently. I know I myself can appear completely callous at times, but it doesn't always follow that I am, so I don't assume others are. Maybe I'm naive, who knows.

But I think most writing in this thread are in some kind of shock as Bernal is quite a loved rider and it's weirdly not too uncommon to be angry at the person injured when we're in shock or scared <3

Now the question is; does anyone know where do we send Bernal our support? <3 I saw someone suggested it helps recovery

Do we tweet at him or something? <3

 

[Extinction]

I think we all process emotions differently. I know I myself can appear completely callous at times, but it doesn't always follow that I am, so I don't assume others are. Maybe I'm naive, who knows.

That's fine, of course, but I simply took umbrage with crass comments that inferred, in one form or another, that Bernal somehow brought this agony upon himself.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

One of leading figures of the young generation has a terrible crash. Obviously this is really bad news for cycling: both present and future. Wishing him a full recovery.

 

[CTQ]

Bernal is going to have company at the hospital. Rivera crashed

https://twitter.com/x/status/1486767935704252421

View: https://twitter.com/BiciGoga/status/1486767935704252421?s=20

 

[bigcog]

Apart from his femur injury which in itself can be career threatening a bad patella fracture can do the same. I read it was a comminuted patella fracture which means broken into pieces, and usually pulled apart by the action of the muscles attached to it. The problem is not just the bone damage but damage to the cartilage on the articular surface of the patella, if it's bad well I am not hopeful in terms of him returning to his previous self as far as cycling goes.

 

[BlueRoads]

Bernal is going to have company at the hospital. Rivera crashed

https://twitter.com/x/status/1486767935704252421

View: https://twitter.com/BiciGoga/status/1486767935704252421?s=20

My, do they have to do this with a black and white picture? I first saw the photo, then read the text... and was kind of relieved... I don't want any more such news.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Apart from his femur injury which in itself can be career threatening a bad patella fracture can do the same. I read it was a comminuted patella fracture which means broken into pieces, and usually pulled apart by the action of the muscles attached to it. The problem is not just the bone damage but damage to the cartilage on the articular surface of the patella, if it's bad well I am not hopeful in terms of him returning to his previous self as far as cycling goes.

It was also an open Patella fracture.