Good and bad for Egan Bernal as he begins season with the Vuelta a San Juan
Rainbow jersey Remco Evenepoel steady at seventh on GC
Photo by:
Sirotti
Even though Egan Bernal’s comeback from grievous injuries suffered in a training ride started with 12 race days last August and September, he’s riding in his first full campaign since 2021. Kicking off his 2023 with the 2.Pro-rated Vuelta a San Juan International in Argentina, the Colombian and his Ineos Grenadiers team will be pleased with his excellent showing on Friday’s climb queen stage, fourth place behind winner Angel Lopez. But on Saturday, Bernal did not start, the knock on the left knee he received in a Stage 1 catching up with him.
Egan Bernal has reluctantly withdrawn from the Vuelta a San Juan due to pain in his left knee sustained in the crash he was involved in on stage one of the race #VueltaSJ2023 pic.twitter.com/knwNaFzErn
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) January 28, 2023
Bernal is slated for July’s Tour de France with teammates Tom Pidcock and Danny Martinez. His next race is the Ruta del Sol in mid-February.
Angel Lopez leads the race with a day remaining, having won Stage 5 with aplomb. This is his first race with new Continental side Team Medellin-EPM after having been sacked by Astana in December for connections to doping doctor Marcos Maynar. He had already been suspended by the team just before the 2022 Vuelta a España for the association before being reinstated in order to take on the Grand Tour where he came fourth. Lopez raced for Astana for six seasons, joined Movistar for one shambolic year and then returned to Astana in 2022.
Remco Evenepoel, the 2020 champion on the Vuelta a San Juan, is parading his rainbow jersey around Argentina. The Soudal-Quick Step rider is currently in seventh place. The Vuelta a España champ’s 2023 Grand Tour plan is rolling the three time trials for a total of 70.6 km to a pink jersey in Rome.
The 39th Vuelta a San Juan Internacional ends on Sunday with a flat stage in San Juan.
