Egan Bernal will take a long time to recover and rehabilitate after suffering multiple fractures in a training crash with a bus in Colombia, but his agent, Giuseppe Accadolo, hopes the Ineos Grenadiers rider will eventually return to racing and continue his successful Grand Tour He hopes he can continue his career.

Bernal was born on January 13, the same day as Marco Pantani. Pantani was hit by a car in 1995 and suffered exposed fractures of the tibia and fibula in his left leg, but later recovered and won the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 1998.

Bernal's injuries are perhaps more complex, but he could benefit from more modern medical technology to aid his rehabilitation. He underwent emergency neurological spine surgery on several vertebrae overnight, which doctors described as a "success."

He also fractured his right femur, requiring osteosynthesis surgery. He underwent similar surgery for an open fracture of the kneecap and was also treated for a collapsed lung.

"Egan and Marco Pantani were born on the same day and suffered similar misfortunes in accidents. Let's hope Egan recovers as well as Marco and has the same success," Acquadro told Cycling News.

Acquadro plans to travel to Colombia to see Bernal, presumably when he is able to leave the hospital.

"I'm told that everything went well and that Egan is now in the intensive care unit. The hospital in Bogota is a very nice place. The hospital in Bogotá is a very nice place, and the team and the family are with him. It's important."

Acquadro has worked with and advised Bernal for most of his career. Few know him better. He expects that when Bernal begins to recover from his injury, he will use the same determination he used to win races.

"It's a big blow because he was really looking forward to the new season and his goal was the Tour de France. We will support him all the way," said Acquadro.

"Egan is mentally strong and will come back from this. He is amazing when he is focused on his goal. He was looking forward to duels with Tadei Pogachal and Primosz Roglic, but that won't happen for a while."

"He overcame his back problems and worked hard for six months. This is another setback, but we just hope he will make a full recovery."

Acquadro is the agent for many other riders, including Nairo Quintana, who was hit by a car while training in Colombia in the summer of 2020. A very large number of riders and sports people showed their support for Bernal on social media.

"Egan is a good guy and people see that," Acquadro said.

"He does a lot behind the scenes to help others. He respects his competitors and they respect him. All cyclists know the dangers of training on public roads, so they share the pain when accidents like this happen. I am confident that this support will help Egan."