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

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BlueRoads

BlueRoads

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Whatever Bernal's specific issue is, I don't think we can draw any conclusions about his future from this Tour, since Ineos obviously got a lot of things wrong in their preparation. Hardly any of their riders have looked great after the lockdown. Sivakov was about the best, but he crashed, okay, bad luck.
Thomas is starting up now, but he was not ready at the point where he was supposed to be. Castroviejo and Kwiatkowski are okay, but not breathtaking.
The team did not look as strong as they used to be last year already. So is this about something changing in the team in general? I think this can not really be assessed in this Covid-year, we will see next year.
If Bernal is really hindered by back pain I just hope it's a temporary thing, that he takes his time to heal, and that it does not become a chronical issue.
 
Tonton

Tonton

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luckyboy said:
Bernal saying to Dan Friebe that he still has back pain and now also knee pain as a result but still wants to continue lol :expressionless:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1305902247042310145
View: https://twitter.com/friebos/status/1305902247042310145
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It seems like pressure got to him, and now he's falling apart...lacking mental fortitude I guess. He was smiling like others are hugging; true champions don't smile, don't hug: they pedal with their teeth if that's what it takes. He should probably change teams and maybe focus on one week races. Definitely not GT winner material.

Wait: this isn't the Pinot thread? :p
 
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Fergoose

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A little strange he has gone from saying his numbers were really good, to making a stupidly futile attack in the next stage, to completely bombing and then saying he has significant underlying injury issues. The guy certainly isn't a media robot, and fair play to him speaking so much to the media when things haven't gone well, but I think he should being wrapped up in cotton wool hidden away from media duties and made to quietly finish the race in Paris.

He's still pretty young and if he is allowed to quit when just a few days ago he had 'great numbers' then I think that is potentially damaging to his development. He needs to learn to grind out some kind of performance when things aren't perfect. Call it character building.
 
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BlueRoads

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Fergoose said:
A little strange he has gone from saying his numbers were really good, to making a stupidly futile attack in the next stage, to completely bombing and then saying he has significant underlying injury issues. The guy certainly isn't a media robot, and fair play to him speaking so much to the media when things haven't gone well, but I think he should being wrapped up in cotton wool hidden away from media duties and made to quietly finish the race in Paris.

He's still pretty young and if he is allowed to quit when just a few days ago he had 'great numbers' then I think that is potentially damaging to his development. He needs to learn to grind out some kind of performance when things aren't perfect. Call it character building.
Click to expand...

Woo... we have no idea what his pain is like or about... this should be assessed by doctors. If it's something that needs to heal in peace it's just silly to want him to continue for "character building". God, in which century do we live?
 
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BlueRoads said:
Woo... we have no idea what his pain is like or about... this should be assessed by doctors. If it's something that needs to heal in peace it's just silly to want him to continue for "character building". God, in which century do we live?
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He strikes me as a man who is emotional, inconsistent in what he is saying and is looking for an excuse to quit, rather than someone in genuine pain who was forced to fight through said pain by his team today. When he was chatting away to Sagan over the finish line today he didn't look into the slightest discomfort.

I don't really believe him about the extent of his discomfort, but by all means if a medical assessment indicates there are serious issues he should be withdrawn (I'm not a barbarian!). Otherwise he should do what Pinot is doing (or being made to do), gain the benefit of completing a full 21 days of racing (for the first time) and learn the the lesson that in a team sport the captain/leader has to lead by example wherever possible. I honestly think it would be terrible for his future as a rider to bail on the race unless there is a categorical medical diagnosis.
 
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Escarabajo

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He has done what he was told to do. And he will do what the team tells him to do. Especially because he is young.

I don't get why some people get so hung up on what the riders or coaches or managers say. They lie a lot to fit their PR. Going after the rider is just silly. And when you say the team should make him do that like if he was the only guilty one in this debacle. They are the ones who gave him the training program in the first place.
 
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CyclistAbi

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Escarabajo said:
He was not scheduled to go to the Giro!! there was no option there. None. Nada. Zipo. Nothing. He was always Ineos best option for the Tour. There wasn't even a remote chance of him going to the Giro.
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Escarabajo said:
He has done what he was told to do. And he will do what the team tells him to do.
Click to expand...

If you treat your riders like that, then don't expect good results.

lenric said:
Side-effects of Portal's death.
Click to expand...

Hard to say, but indeed possible.
 
md1975

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Found an article and he is saying that it is his back and it even went to his knee today on stage 16. I will quote him, later he changed the screwed up part to a 4 letter word that starts with "F".

"Today I was suffering all day, with back pain and it was increasing," Bernal said according to AS.com. "In the last climb it switched to my knee. I'm screwed up on all sides. If I continue like this, it will be difficult to fight for the stage in the Col de la Loze, which is a very hard climb, with a lot of steep gradients."
 
SafeBet

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This is probably the first real obstacle/difficult moment in his career. I'm not saying he didn't have a hard time training, living like a monk, leaving home early, etc or that he didn't have his share of crashes and injuries before.
But his career progression was so linear and his achievements so great at an early age that he probably never had to face the possibility of failure and to question his own ability to be a great of the sport.

Now this time has come (as it does for most pro athletes sooner or later) and his reaction will be key for his future. He comes accross as a very humble person and as a true fighter, so I'm fairly confident he'll come back as strong as ever.
 
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Breezy1985

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Tonton said:
It seems like pressure got to him, and now he's falling apart...lacking mental fortitude I guess. He was smiling like others are hugging; true champions don't smile, don't hug: they pedal with their teeth if that's what it takes. He should probably change teams and maybe focus on one week races. Definitely not GT winner material.

Wait: this isn't the Pinot thread? :p
Click to expand...
Thought the same thing straight away. Where's McBindle and the other lads piling on about how mentally weak Bernal is.
 
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Pricey_sky

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I hope they don’t rush him and let his injuries fully heal, it’s obvious now the 2 weeks between the Dauphine and Tour wasn’t enough time.

Let him fully recover so he’s healthy again for the start of next season and make a new target. Personally I’d like to see him at the Giro in May, but he may see the Tour next year as unfinished business.
 
Breezy1985

Breezy1985

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Savant12 said:
Good decision. Back pain isn't something you can just ride off in a Tour race.
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images
 
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