Bernal set to make Tour de France debut after California victory
22 May 2018 08:05
After a hugely successful spring, Egan Bernal is set to make his Grand Tour debut at the Tour de France this year, Cyclingnews understands. The hugely talented 21-year-old Colombian joined Team Sky for the start of the 2018 season from Androni Giocattoli and has produced a string of superb performances, fast tracking his WorldTour career. He won the Colombia Oro y Paz in February and last week claimed his first WorldTour stage race victory at the Tour of California. In between, he won a stage and finished second overall at the Tour de Romandie, and was second overall at the Volta a Catalunya before crashing out on the final day. ADVERTISEMENT At the start of the season, it was thought Bernal would make his Grand Tour debut in his first year with Team Sky but that the opportunity was expected to come at the Vuelta a España later in the season. "I don’t think it will be the Giro, and for sure it won’t be the Tour de France, but I'd like to try the Vuelta," Bernal himself had said in January. However, Cyclingnews understands that Bernal's start to the season, and especially his performances at Romandie and California, have caused a major re-think and he is now in line to ride the Tour de France. He is expected to miss the Critérium du Dauphiné and instead prepare for the Tour de France. Chris Froome is, in theory, set to lead Team Sky in July if his salbutamol case does not reach a verdict before the start on July 7, while Geraint Thomas is also targeting the Tour de France. Bernal would in theory be a key teammate in the mountains and so escape the spotlight of expectation that his results are rapidly commanding.
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