- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
Ex-Tour champion Bernal 'conscious' after surgery for bus crash injuries
"He is conscious, with mobility in all four limbs" and showing signs of "further progress in his post-operative development," said the Sabana University Clinic, where the cyclist was rushed by ambulance after smashing head-on into a bus.
Having undergone what doctors called "successful" surgery, the injured cyclist was extubated on Tuesday afternoon "without any complications" and has had "an excellent response to treatment," the clinic said in a statement.
Bernal's British team, Ineos Grenadiers, said he underwent two surgeries to "medically pin his right leg and stabilise the vertebrae fracture in two seperate surgeries last night."
In a message on social media, the squad added that the reigning Giro d'Italia champion also had "a punctured lung."
Despite his injuries, the team expressed confidence that Bernal was "on the road to recovery."
The 25-year-old winner of the 2019 Tour de France slammed at high speed into a bus that had stopped in the road while he was training with his teammates 30 kilometers (20 miles) outside the capital Bogota.
Traffic police Colonel Juan Castro said Bernal was "so focused" that he "did not notice the shouts" of warning from his companions.
Pictures shared on social media showed the cyclist lying on the ground surrounded by teammates, with the back of a bus with a huge dent in it also visible in some images.
Bernal's condition will be monitored "over the next 72 hours" in the clinic's intensive care unit.
"We are starting the process of rehabilitation immediately to achieve the best possible results with our patient," said the clinic.
- 'Cheer up champion' -
Noted climber Bernal is considered among the very best road racers in the world and is a hero in Colombia, where he had been training ahead of the new season.
Scheduled to race July's Tour de France as Ineos leader, the collision could derail Bernal's entire 2022 campaign.
He was due to begin his season on February 10 at the four-day Tour de La Provence.
Bernal became an instant star in 2019 when he upstaged British teammate and then champion Geraint Thomas to win the Tour -- cycling's most prestigious prize.
His 2020 season was hampered by a back injury and he failed to finish his Tour defense as Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar dazzled.
Pogacar posted a picture on Instagram of the two rivals racing each other with a message in Spanish, "Animo campeon!" or "Cheer up champion."
Last year, Bernal switched focus and won the Giro on his debut in the pink jersey race, before also finishing sixth at the Vuelta a Espana later in the year.
He recently signed a blockbuster contract extension with British team Ineos until 2026 and will return to the Tour in July.
The Tour begins in Copenhagen on July 1 and will finish with the traditional dash along the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 24.
M.A.Colin--AMWN