Tour de France winner Egan thrilled by bounce back chances

 

Tour de France 2019 winner Egan Bernal has shared an incredible image of himself back on his feet just two weeks after he was left fighting for his life following a horror training crash in his native Colombia.

Bernal was rushed to intensive care and needed spinal surgery on January 24 after he crashed into a parked bus, with the 25-year-old telling fans a week later that he had a ’95 per cent chance’ of becoming a paraplegic.

Amazingly, not only did Bernal survive but he is also now already back on his feet, telling his Instagram followers he is ‘reborn’ following the accident.

In two pictures posted to his 1.3m followers, Bernal is seated and surrounded by friends and family in one, and standing alongside doctors in the other.

In the image that shows him standing, the cyclist is wearing a neck brace, while in the other image a plaster on his neck is the only sign of any damage to his body.

After the January crash, Bernal underwent rounds of surgery in the immediate aftermath, with doctors working to repair fractures in his right leg and kneecap, as well as a collapsed lung.

After that, the former Tour de France winner and current Giro d’Italia champion then needed a further operation on his back to continue his recovery.

Reports in Colombia at the time of the crash said Bernal had struck a parked bus while riding at high speed close to his home in Bogota, with images showing the Ineos Grenadiers rider receiving treatment next to a heavily-dented vehicle.

In an Instagram message after his surgery, Bernal updated his fans with a message explaining his situation.

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‘Having had a 95 per cent chance of becoming a paraplegic and nearly losing my life doing what I love to do most, today I want to thank God, @clinicaunisabana, to all its specialists for doing the impossible, to my family, @mafemotas, friends and all of you for your wishes,’ he wrote.

‘I’m still in the ICU waiting for more surgeries but trusting in God everything will be fine.’

While it is as yet unclear whether his career will resume at any point in the future, it has been a miracle two-week recovery for Bernal.