‘I’m the only non extraterrestrial’ - Bernal is last active Tour winner outside Pogacar and Vingegaard

“I had not thought about it,” Bernal told MARCA. “But it is a good statistic.”

The Colombian responded with a joke, calling himself the only “non extraterrestrial” left among the Tour’s active champions. The comment underlined how completely Pogačar and Vingegaard have come to dominate the race since Bernal won the yellow jersey in 2019.

Bernal is not merely present at this year’s Tour as a reminder of the period before their rivalry. He is also competing close to the top ten, despite arriving without a clear plan to target the general classification.

The Netcompany-Ineos rider currently sits 11th overall, 12 minutes and 15 seconds behind race leader Pogačar.

His position has come as something of a surprise, including to Bernal himself. He was not originally expected to ride the Tour and did not begin the race with the intention of building his campaign around the overall standings.

“First, I was not planning to come to the Tour,” Bernal said. “Then I came, but I was not planning to ride for the general classification. Now I am riding for the general classification.”

Bernal’s deficit means an overall podium is unlikely, but his position still gives him several options for the remainder of the race. He is close enough to the top ten to continue defending his place, while being far enough behind the main contenders to potentially receive more freedom in a breakaway.

That could make a stage victory a realistic target, particularly during one of the remaining mountain stages.

“Anything is possible,” Bernal said. “Why not?”

His approach is markedly different from the one he carried into the Tour during the years after his 2019 victory. He is no longer expected to lead the race or prove that he can compete directly with Pogačar and Vingegaard.

Instead, Bernal says he is trying to make the most of his current level and enjoy being competitive again.

“I feel good,” he said. “The important thing is that I enjoy what I am doing. I feel proud of what I am doing.”

Even his Tour victory is not something he regularly thinks about during a race. Bernal said he is focused more on his immediate performance than on measuring himself against the rider he was seven years ago.

“You simply try to do the best you can,” he said. “I only think about winning the Tour when people remind me of it.”

That perspective has been shaped by the very different positions Bernal has occupied during his career. He became the first Colombian to win the Tour in 2019 and added the Giro d’Italia two years later. His career was then placed in serious doubt by a training accident in Colombia in January 2022.

The crash left him with multiple injuries and required a long period of rehabilitation. His return to the highest level has been gradual, with Bernal moving from simply completing races to once again competing near the front of Grand Tours.

“I have been in different positions in this race,” he said. “I have been at the top, then at the bottom, then one rider among many. Now I am somewhere around the general classification again.”

Bernal’s return has coincided with a wider change at Netcompany Ineos. The British team dominated Grand Tour racing for much of the previous decade, but is now searching for a rider capable of consistently challenging Pogačar and Vingegaard.

Bernal believes the squad still has the structure and supporting riders needed to compete for the Tour. What it lacks, in his view, is an established leader who can match the strongest riders in the race.

“We have very good riders,” he said. “When you look at the squad, there is a lot of quality. What we need is a leader who can fight against the riders who are currently ahead.”

He remains confident that the team would be able to build a successful Tour campaign around the right contender.

“With a strong leader, that rider would have the full support of the team,” Bernal said. “This is an organisation that knows how to win and has riders who know how to control a race.”

Bernal’s own role has become more flexible. He can work for teammates such as Thymen Arensman, as he did at the Giro d’Italia, while also pursuing his own opportunities, as he is doing at this Tour.

That arrangement allows him to respond to the race without carrying the full responsibility of being the team’s undisputed leader. It also gives Netcompany Ineos an experienced Grand Tour winner who can contribute in several ways.

Despite the team’s transition, Bernal remains deeply attached to the organisation. He has spent most of his professional career there and would prefer not to wear another team’s colours before retiring.

“I would love to finish my career with this team,” he said. “When you have been somewhere for many years, you do not want to leave. It is difficult to imagine myself in another team.”