Two-time grand tour-winner Egan Bernal has revealed he nearly lost his life in a horror smash in his native Colombia last week.
While on a training ride with his INEOS Grenadiers teammates, Bernal smashed into the back of bus, leading to a catalogue of horrific injuries.
The 2019 Tour de France winner suffered a fractured vertebrae, a fractured right femur, a fractured right patella, chest trauma, a punctured lung and several fractured ribs.
Bernal required spinal surgery earlier this week, which was deemed a success by doctors at the Clinica Universidad de La Sabana hospital in Bogota.
Taking to social media for the first time since the accident, the 25-year old wrote, "Having had a 95 per cent chance of becoming a paraplegic and nearly losing my life doing what I love to do most, today I want to thank God, the Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, all its specialists for doing the impossible, my family, @mafemotas [girlfriend, Mafe Motas] and all of you for your good wishes."
He added, "I'm still in the ICU waiting for more surgeries but trusting in God everything will be fine.”
The hospital have also given an update on Bernal's condition, saying he "has continued with the expected recovery and with a favourable trend.
However, they revealed that further surgeries are required for last year's Giro D'Italia winner.
They described them as "secondary procedures that are not life-threatening", adding, "The first is an osteosynthesis of a fracture to the second metacarpal of the right hand, which will be performed by the hand surgery team.
"The second is maxillo-facial to manage dentoalveolar fractures in his mouth."
The trip to Colombia for INEOS Grenadiers has seemingly been cursed, with teammate Brandon Rivera also being treated in the same hospital as Bernal following a crash of his own.
Rivera sustained a fractured and dislocated elbow.
Comunicado 7 versión en inglés.
Clínica Universidad de La Sabana is permitted to report on the state of health of Egan Bernal, who has been assessed in an interdisciplinary manner by our specialists. We will be very attentive to inform you about his evolution. pic.twitter.com/yQxUaNNrvk— Clínica Unisabana (@ClinicaUsabana) January 28, 2022
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