Egan Bernal, who won the 2019 Tour de France and became the first Colombian to win the yellow jersey, will be competing in the Giro d'Italia for the first time this season. In its May 2021 issue, Procycling magazine sat down with the Ineos Grenadier rider for an exclusive interview about his quest for the pink jersey and why Italy is a special place for him.

This year's Giro may be Bernal's first Italian Grand Tour attempt, but the 24-year-old's history with Italy dates back to when he moved to Europe from his native South America. Bernal signed with Pro Conti Team Androni in 2016 and spent his formative years racing and living in the country.

"I don't want to fall into the trap of doing the Tour every year and falling into the same pattern every season," Bernal tells Procycling. The Tour is the Tour, but there's also the Giro and the Vuelta. There is also the Italian classic, the Strade Bianche. There's Paris-Nice, but also Tirreno-Adriatico.

"I need variety, and I want races that are truly motivating, like the Giro."

Another rider going into the Giro with big ambitions is Jacamo Nizzolo, who has come close to his first stage win at the Giro many times in the past, his record now stands at 25 stages in the top 5. The Qhubeka Assos rider is the current Italian and European champion and is enjoying his best racing period, having finally overcome a debilitating knee injury that hampered him from 2017 to 2019.

"Basically during those two and a half years I never trained for more than three weeks in a row, I had to stop every three weeks, so you can imagine that it was not easy to program, get in shape, and perform," Nizolo told Sophie Halcomb He told Sophie Halcomb.

The Giro d'Italia markets itself as "the toughest race in the most beautiful place," and the 2021 route is no exception. analysis of the course.

While the mountains may be the difference between winning and losing the race, the race has a unique relationship with Italian cities and towns that no other Grand Tour has. From Turin to Perugia, Siena to Verona, Barry Ryan delves into the central cities of this year's race and shows how geography and history are tied together.

It has been 36 years since a French rider won the Tour de France. Despite being the country that discovered modern sports and has won more major titles than anyone else, this statistic falls on the shoulders of French riders every July In the latest issue of Procycling's "State of the Nation" series, François Tomazo examines the state of cycling.

Among those who know exactly what it is like to grow through the French system is the country's current road champion, Audrey Cordon-Lago. This Trek-Segafredo rider, a Breton at heart, talks to Procycling's Edward Pickering about mastering race tactics and why it's okay to be angry.

Elsewhere, we met Movistar sibling duo Emma and Matthias Norsgaard Jorgensen. The two Danes talk about growing up together, their journey to the top, and how it has highlighted the inequality in racing between the sexes for young riders.

Emma Norsgaard was a visible presence during the Classics, finishing in the top 10 in six Belgian races this year, and Procycling looks at the women's spring campaign, analyzing the themes that emerged between races and winning riders.

James Witts looks at how riders train their minds for races and how imagining victory can turn winning into reality, and William Fotheringham goes back to Laurent Fignon's victory at the 1989 Giro He goes back to the

The May issue features a full complement of regulars, including diarists Kevin Reza, Brody Chapman, and Charlie Quarterman, as well as Dan Martin and columnist Lawrence ten Dam.

Pro Cycling Magazine: the best writing and photography from inside the world's toughest sport. You can also subscribe for £5/$5/€5 from issue 5 as part of our Spring Sale (opens in a new tab).