Bernal defends Colombian title after epic battle with revived Sosa
Egan Bernal has once again become Colombian road race champion. The INEOS Grenadiers rider defeated Iván Ramiro Sosa after an extremely tough race in a two-man sprint. Juan Felipe Rodriguez, from the EF Education-EasyPost development team, took third place.
This year's Colombian championship took place in Zipaquirá, the hometown of the defending champion Egan Bernal. From this city, the riders first completed a long loop before riding thirteen laps on a local circuit. The brutally steep Via de Pacho (1.5 km at 10.7%, with peaks up to 27%) was the decisive factor on this course.
Buitrago makes the jump
Until late in the finale of the 208-kilometer race, a breakaway with three Continental riders led the way. These were Rodrigo Contreras, Javier Ernesto Jamaica (both Nu Colombia), and Robinson Fabián López (GW Erco SportFitness). Behind them, a group formed including big names like Bernal, Brandon Rivera, Iván Ramiro Sosa, and Santiago Buitrago. The latter tried to bridge up with thirty kilometers to go.
The Bahrain Victorious rider, however, seemed to struggle on the Via de Pacho. Rivera, who was crowned Colombian time trial champion earlier this week, also clearly struggled with the steep section. He briefly had to get off his bike and lost contact with Bernal and company. Meanwhile, Buitrago managed to recover at the front and on the flatter part of the circuit, he was able to catch back up to the leading trio.
On to the final climb.
Going uphill, Buitrago struggled again. He had to let Robinson López and Javier Jamaica go and also saw Sosa and Bernal pass him. Sosa joined the leading duo just before the summit, with Bernal following shortly after.
Once downhill, the lead group expanded further. Contreras, Buitrago, and Juan Felipe Rodriguez (EF Education - Aevolo) also came back. The seven riders headed toward the final ascent of the Via de Pacho. The finish was a few kilometres beyond, on a different climb.
Bernal versus Sosa
Early on the climb, Rodriguez attacked. While Sosa stayed tightly on his wheel, Bernal and Buitrago dropped back, but both WorldTour riders gradually returned at their own pace. At that moment, Sosa launched an acceleration. The 28-year-old Equipo Kern Pharma rider opened a nice gap, but Bernal and Rodriguez were not ready to give up. They still had Sosa in sight at the summit.
Bernal kept hope alive. And rightly so, as it turned out. He dropped Rodriguez on the descent and caught back up with Sosa. The two kept the other chasers behind and contested a two-man sprint for the title. Bernal clearly had the most left in the legs and comfortably beat his rival. Sosa, who could have claimed his first victory since the 2022 Tour de Langkawi, had to settle for second place. Rodriguez secured third place.
