'The aim is to enjoy it’ – Egan Bernal carries early momentum into Tour Colombia

Egan Bernal can’t walk very far in this corner of the world without getting flagged down by somebody who wants his attention, but the first Colombian to win the Tour de France has long since accepted that it’s best to wear that burden lightly.

When a member of the Tour Colombia’s security detail tried to shepherd a small group of journalists away from him on Tunja’s Plaza de Bolivar on Sunday – “Por favor, caballeros!” – Bernal politely waved away the offer of sanctuary. “No, no, leave them here,” he said. “It’s fine.”

The loudest cheers at the subsequent team presentation were, of course, for Nairo Quintana, who grew up barely five miles away in Cómbita and who was serenaded as he celebrated his 34th birthday and marked his return from a year on the sidelines after his positive tests for Tramadol.

Bernal’s appearance on stage, however, was the event’s climax. Although Ineos elected against participating this time out, Bernal was the last man on stage as the leader of the Colombian national team, and he enters buoyed by a strong showing at last week’s National Championships.

His bronze medal there was his first podium finish of any description since he won the 2021 Giro d’Italia. More pertinently, it was also his most notable display since the life-threatening crash he suffered in training near Bogotà just over two years ago. Or, as Bernal put it poignantly after the medal ceremony, “I felt like the Egan of before.”

That iteration of Bernal won the inaugural edition of this race in 2018 and then placed fourth in the two following years when he ascended to the very summit of his sport. His performance last week, not to mention the dearth of contenders from beyond Colombia and Ecuador, places him firmly among the favourites here, even if he preferred to set himself a more abstract target.

“The objective is to enjoy it, I think,” Bernal said on Sunday. “At this point in the season, it’s difficult for me to say I want to finish first or second or third. The most important thing is to enjoy it, like I did in the National Championships."

"I’ll give the best of myself, and then I’ll see where I am and if I’m recovering well. It’s hard to say [more] now.”

This time twelve months ago, Bernal’s spirited showing on the Alto Colorado at the Vuelta a San Juan had augured well for his comeback only for a knee injury to force him out of the race the following day. His 2023 campaign would endure another setback when he crashed out of the Volta a Catalunya, though there was encouragement, too, from a solid showing at the Tour de Romandie.

Ultimately, Bernal’s greatest strides last season came in the simple fact that he was able to suffer his way through both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Any disappointment at being so far off the overall contenders was offset by the realisation that each kilometre of that slog was helping to sink more stable foundations for 2024.

“I’m coming in with a lot of determination to give the best of myself, which is the most important thing,” said Bernal of the new campaign.

“Maybe I got a bit of confidence from the national championships, and that’s important, but every race is different. I didn’t do a great time trial in the Nationals and then I did a good road race, so I’m just keeping my feet on the ground.”

While the first three days of the Tour Colombia take place in Boyacá in the very heart of Quintana country, Bernal will be the centre of attention on stage 4, which ends in his hometown of Zipaquirá. “I feel incredibly happy to be finishing a stage there,” he said. “Although the last 50km are totally flat, so it’s not a stage for me.”

The following afternoon’s summit finish atop the Alto del Vino, on the other hand, is an afternoon that resolutely calls to Bernal. The 27-year-old will be expected to vie with Quintana, Richard Carapaz and Rigoberto Urán (EF Education-EasyPost) for the honours at the summit, some 2,854m above sea level.

“It’s difficult, really very difficult,” Bernal said. “You’re climbing for the last 30km of the race and there are some very tough slopes. There’s a change of climate too, because it’s usually very hot at the bottom of the climb and then a lot fresher at the top. That’s going to be a very tough stage."