TWO-TIME Grand Tour winner Egan Bernal remains in intensive care after undergoing surgery on his spine following a serious crash suffered while training in his native Colombia.

Bernal, 25, underwent several rounds of surgery following the accident, with doctors working to repair fractures in his right leg and kneecap as well as a collapsed lung.

Overnight the 2019 Tour de France winner had further surgery to repair dislocated fractures in his spine.

A statement from the Clinica Universidad de La Sabana in Bogota said the operation “kept intact the neurological integrity and conserved the functionality of the segments involved.

“We will wait for his progress over the next 72 hours in the intensive care unit to see the response to the course of treatment established for this high-energy trauma.” 

“We have immediately begun the rehabilitation process to achieve the best possible results with our patient.”

The Ineos Grenadiers rider is reported to have struck a parked bus while riding at high speed close to his home in Bogota.

While the majority of the Grenadiers squad trains in Europe, Bernal had remained in Colombia to prepare for the upcoming season, riding alongside a small group of team-mates that includes former Giro d’Italia champion Richard Carapaz.

Bernal, who took his second Grand Tour victory in last year’s Giro, signed a new five-year contract with the Grenadiers earlier this month, and had set out his ambitions to target the Tour de France again this summer.