'I felt like I was going to die' – Egan Bernal reveals abnormally high heart rate was behind his struggles on Giro d'Italia stage 4 climb

Egan Bernal, the 2021 Giro d'Italia champion, recently revealed that an abnormally high heart rate was the primary cause of his struggles on Stage 4 of the current Giro. The Netcompany Ineos Grenadiers rider reported feeling "like I was going to die" during the climb, with his heart rate spiking to an unsustainable 200 beats per minute. This confession follows a stage where Bernal lost significant time, finishing over two minutes behind the stage winner, setting off alarm bells for fans and pundits alike.

This admission adds a concerning layer to Bernal's ongoing comeback narrative. Since his life-threatening training crash in 2022, his return to the top tier has been a slow, arduous process, punctuated by flashes of brilliance but often hampered by inconsistency. While he’s shown glimpses of his former self, particularly in shorter stage races, sustained Grand Tour performance has remained elusive. A physiological issue of this magnitude, particularly one he claims to have experienced before, suggests a deeper, potentially chronic problem rather than just a bad day at the office.

Bernal's candor is commendable, yet it underscores the harsh reality: the physical toll of his past trauma, or perhaps an underlying condition, continues to dog his ambitions. The peloton waits to see if this is a temporary blip or another sign that the road back to Grand Tour contention remains steeper than anticipated.