Bernal claims first win since 2022 horror crash

Former Tour de France champion Egan Bernal on Thursday swept to his first victory since a 2022 horror crash which almost claimed his life.

The Colombian star ended his long wait by winning his country's national time-trial at Bucaramanga.

It may not have been the most prestigious of successes for the 28-year-old Ineos rider whose most recent overall race triumph was on the Giro d'Italia in 2021.

Back then, Bernal was one of the world's great Grand Tour riders having also won the 2019 Tour de France.

However, he was almost killed in a serious road accident during training in Colombia when he collided head-on with a stationary bus.

The incident left him with 20 fractures and in serious danger of paralysis before he miraculously returned to the saddle barely a year later.