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

[Cookster15]

There is an effect.

But it's not a unique trait that's super different between riders that magically makes them much better or worse just because there's high/low altitude.

Not sure about that. I know altitude affects everyone differently. Watching the 2019 TdF it seemed obvious to me altitude was the big difference for Bernal once the roads were consistently over 2,000m.

 

[Ripper]

Not sure about that. I know altitude affects everyone differently. Watching the 2019 TdF it seemed obvious to me altitude was the big difference for Bernal once the roads were consistently over 2,000m.

Some people definitely suck at altitude. But it's not that magical, some just are better, some are worse. Like any race characteristics.

I think the biggest thing for Egan was that 2019 did not end up being the full race at the end. He might have been extra dominating. Or perhaps G or someone else would have overtaken him.

 

[Cookster15]

Or perhaps G or someone else would have overtaken him.

Nah. That shortened stage was to climb back over 2,000 meters on Tignes. That helped JA and GT.

 

[Red Rick]

Not sure about that. I know altitude affects everyone differently. Watching the 2019 TdF it seemed obvious to me altitude was the big difference for Bernal once the roads were consistently over 2,000m.

The Iseran stage was over 2000 for all of 9km. What made that stage was the crazy ass pace of Ineos to the bottom.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Egan Bernal: Giro d'Italia has been a fight for seconds but gaps will be much bigger from now on

Colombian going better than expected but wants 90 seconds on Evenepoel by final time trial

www.cyclingnews.com

Indeed. If Bernal wants to win he will need to drop Evenepoel in mountains. Taking just bonification seconds won't do.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Now we know, from that other thread. Bernal will need to drop Ramco:

P.S. That guy entering the helicopter. In front is Almeida.

 

[Froome]

Now we know, from that other thread. Bernal will need to drop Ramco:

P.S. That guy entering the helicopter. In front is Almeida.

Now we know, from that other thread. Bernal will need to drop Ramco:

P.S. That guy entering the helicopter. In front is Almeida.

Ahah the hype around evenepoel is very high on that thread.

 

[Blanco]

Now we know, from that other thread. Bernal will need to drop Ramco:

P.S. That guy entering the helicopter. In front is Almeida.

The other one, behind, looks like Chuck Norris. If he's on Remco's side, then good luck to Bernal

 

[lenric]

I don't know what kind of back problems Bernal has, but I can totally relate to him.
For years I've been plagued with back pain (lumbar) , with my body leaning to the opposite side of the pain, despite not being an herniated disk. It comes suddenly and then disappears for months.
I don't know if he also has this problem frequently, but it can be very troublesome, so I hope that he can overcome it as much as he's able to, though it wouldn't surprise me if his schedule over the years gets reduced.

 

[hfer07]

great ride today in Montalcino the team did an amazing work for him to set him up the last climbs.
At this point is Egan's race to lose.

 

[SafeBet]

He's just phenomenal. Beautiful ride on the sterrato today.

 

[Panda Claws]

Very impressive. Curious how he would compare to prime Quintana.
Better TT obviously but what about climbing?

 

[Escarabajo]

Very impressive. Curious how he would compare to prime Quintana.
Better TT obviously but what about climbing?

We need more sample size.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Very impressive. Curious how he would compare to prime Quintana.
Better TT obviously but what about climbing?

Basically better at everything, and about the same in terms of climbing.

 

[Gigs_98]

To support @Red Rick in that altitude discussion, nobody has brought up yet that one of those pyrenees stages where he supposedly suffered because it was on lower altitude finished on the Tourmalet on 2100 meters. I'm sorry, but altitude clearly wasn't his problem there.

 

[Red Rick]

Basically better at everything, and about the same in terms of climbing.

Please.

Quintana is way better at looking pretty in green.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Quite funny that you come onto this thread after a stage like that and you get half a dozen posts, go onto the Remco thread and there's 25 pages of drivel. Think this lad has Remco sorted, he just needs to take a pocket full of gravel with him on each stage and every time Remco tries to attack, throw it in front of him and he will poo his pants.

 

[gunara]

This Giro have the potential, in several years, to be one of those dubbed "there were highlights, but not enough competition for pink" which is actually "my boy's spanked hard by the winner", and will not last too long in the GT elimination game.

 

[SafeBet]

Basically better at everything, and about the same in terms of climbing.

I feel like Quintana was (and on his day probably still is) a better climber. I have yet to see Bernal completely obliterate the competition going uphill like Quintana has done a dozen times in his career.
But yeah, I agree that Bernal is better at pretty much anything else cycling related.

 

[spalco]

This Giro have the potential, in several years, to be one of those dubbed "there were highlights, but not enough competition for pink" which is actually "my boy's spanked hard by the winner", and will not last too long in the GT elimination game.

Yeah, races where one guy is just miles away the best tend to make people misinterpret it as "weak field" instead of recognising the great performance.

Still a bit of road left to cover to Milan though.

 

[Eclipse]

Honestly a brilliant performance. Always positioned aggressively, took on the burden himself many times, and finished it off in style.

I look forward to seeing how he goes in the big stuff; maybe he pays for the efforts or maybe he's simply not as good as we thought, but this was super and I am thoroughly entertained by him as a racer

---

As a big Nairo fan I think Bernal is yet to demonstrate the absolute elite competition shattering climbs Nairo posted at his best (though they may be coming), but I do think he's better at most other things (though Nairo posted some decent performances on unusual terrain a few times and Bernal has a smarter team)

 

[hfer07]

Basically better at everything, and about the same in terms of climbing.

You're about to change your mind when Egan gets to the real mountains in the last week of this Giro

see- If you look to his past GT performances, two out of 4 Egan was domestique, in 2019 was co-leader and 2020 leader with a back problem

 

[BigCoward]

He's never looked this good before the high mountains, so unless his back goes, he doesn't feel the need to risk anything or he has been too aggressive too soon, we may see something rather special.

 

[Poursuivant]

He has been unreal: hope his back problems don’t trouble him. Amazing ride today.

 

[Bardamu]

such a great rider to watch