Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) has indicated that injury troubles will not stop him from going after his second Tour de France title, confirming that the race will again be his main goal for the 2021 season.

The Colombian, who won the Tour in 2019 at the age of 22, was forced to abandon his title defense this year due to back pain and was later diagnosed with the spinal disorder scoliosis.

Bernal himself would not discuss his ambitions for 2021, despite initially suggesting that recovery would take months and saying last week that he was running pain-free.

But on Tuesday, at a ceremony in his hometown of Zipaquia where he was named Sportsman of the Year, he revealed the framework of his racing program.

"You have to train very hard. I'm preparing for the most important race in the world, the Tour de France," he told Noticias Caracol (opens in new tab).

"My first race should be at the Colombian Championships.

Bernal has long expressed a desire to eventually target the Giro d'Italia. While the Tour's route, which is slightly less favorable to climbers than in recent years, has been announced, the Giro's route has yet to be announced.

The Giro, which will be held in May, may still be too early for Bernal given his current condition. He also reminded that the road to full fitness is a long one.

"The inflammation is slowly subsiding. I've been pedaling without pain for the past few days, but it will take some time to recover."

"I've been working on my legs for a while now, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it again.

Bernal will start with the national championships, but the international race, the Tour Colombia, will not be held in February due to the COVID-19 epidemic. small stage races in Europe in February, including Volta a Valencia, Volta ao Algarve, and Ruta del Sol In March, the Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico races will be held.

Bernal was included in Colombia's Olympic road race plans before Tokyo was postponed to 2021. Now, with only one week between the end of the Tour and the Tokyo road race, and a possible quarantine period for athletes arriving in Japan, uncertainty is increasing.