• Egan Bernal will race for Britain’s Ineos Grenadiers team at the Tour of Denmark.
• The former Tour de France winner crashed into a bus in Colombia in January.
• He broke several bones, including his thumb, in the crash that almost killed him.

Egan Bernal, who once won the Tour de France, will race again on Tuesday at the Tour of Denmark, seven months after he “almost died” in a training accident in his home country of Colombia.

The climber, who is 25 years old and rides for Britain’s Ineos Grenadiers team, broke several bones when he crashed into a bus that was stopped near Bogata on January 24.

Bernal broke several ribs, a kneecap, a thigh bone, two vertebrae, and his thumb in the crash. He had to have multiple surgeries to fix these injuries.

He said at the time, “I almost died but I thank God for this test,”

Ineos said that since then, he had made “remarkable progress,” praising his focus and the work of the medical team.

Bernal, who won the Giro d’Italia last year, said, “After what happened to me in January, I’ve been waiting for this moment to race with my teammates again.”

“I can’t emphasise enough how hard the last eight months have been for me, both physically and mentally. That day, and the journey that I have been on since will be a part of me forever — it’s something you never forget.”

Bernal, the only Tour de France winner from Latin America, said: “As humans we really rely on each other in our times of need, and this year has been a time of need for me.

“I can’t thank everyone who has been there for me enough. That support has been invaluable in motivating me every day to work hard to be able to race again.”

Rod Ellingworth, the team’s deputy leader, said: “He’s shown the world the true strength of his character, and demonstrated remarkable grit in returning to race-readiness.

“We’re still on a journey with Egan, but lining up at the Tour of Denmark is a significant and hard-earned milestone. Egan’s long-term recovery has and continues to guide our medical and physical programme of support.”

Bernal won the Tour de France in 2019, and he signed a five-year deal with Ineos just days before his accident.

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