Egan Bernal is ready to destroy the mountains at the Giro d'Italia, and European cycling is at his feet.

Egan Bernal (Ineos) has been the rider who has put up the most battles in this Giro d'Italia on the mountainous terrain. He has shown that he is an attacker, and that the Ineos team's approach to going on the offensive this season also applies to this competition.

Today, on the 219-kilometer stage between Fiume Veneto and Asiago , with three climbs: one third category, one first category, and the last second category, Bernal will be ready to do the work of breaking up the main group.

It's a good opportunity to continue advancing in the overall standings in a tight Giro, which has yet to reveal its true colors and will face the final week filled with mountain terrain, terrain in which Bernal has been a key player.

Ineos is aiming for the podium; its sporting directors even warn that the best is yet to come and that they trust Bernal to attack and, why not, win the race.

EL TIEMPO consulted with experts in Europe who are amazed by the rider's performance and are confident he will continue his climb toward the top five.

"I think he's doing very, very well. He's the only one who's stood out in the mountains. It caught my attention that after his collarbone fracture, he finished seventh in the Tour of Catalonia, and in this Giro, he's been on point, as if nothing had happened," said Javier Ares, Eurosport's broadcaster.

Ares says he's confident Bernal will crush the pack in this final week, and that this devastating performance will surely propel him higher in the standings.

"He's got attacks in his head; he's always done them when there's been a mountain race, and if he keeps this up, he'll surely keep doing it this last week. He's a rider who's been making the most of the Giro," the journalist said.

Ares doesn't see Primoz Roglic in a good light, Isaac del Toro sees him as a potential winner, and Juan Ayuso sees him as a rider who will respond according to the circumstances, but he says Egan will adapt better.

"There's no clear leader in the Giro, and based on what we've seen individually, I think Bernal will fight to be among the top five. I don't know if he'll finish on the podium, but he'll certainly be among the best," Ares concluded.

Danilo di Luca has been one of the Italian climbers who have starred in the Giro.

He won it in 2007 and believes Bernal has been one of the stars of this year's edition.

"He's a strong man in the mountains. He's been responsible for destroying the group, for pushing ahead. I've always seen him well positioned in the pack, and when he gets to the front, he's damaging," said Di Luca.

The Italian stated that Bernal will carry out this work of destruction and fight for his objectives during the final week.

"He's been very active, and even though the big mountain stage hasn't arrived yet, it will be in the final week, and that's when we want to see him. He's not the same Bernal we saw when he won the Giro in 2021, but he's a strong cyclist , he's proven that," the former rider said.

Di Luca warns that Colombia should be excited about Egan, as he has been the cyclist who has put his heart and soul into the competition on the climbs.

"I see him fighting for a stage, winning it, because he's been the one who's been the talk of the town on the climbs; he's strong. As for the podium, I don't see it as that easy, but I think he could finish fourth or fifth overall," Di Luca concluded.