Injury sidelines Egan Bernal from competition for now

Notably, Egan Bernal was already not part of the INEOS Grenadiers squad for Strade Bianche and is also missing from the lineup for Tirreno-Adriatico. According to Colombian media, an injury is currently troubling the 2019 Tour winner.

The well-known Colombian sports journalist Diego Rueda reported on X that Bernal is dealing with a muscle injury. "He will return to competition in two weeks." Meanwhile, the TV station DIRECTV mentioned knee pain for the 29-year-old INEOS Grenadiers rider.

Bernal started his cycling season on a hopeful note by defending his Colombian road race title at home. Last week, he raced the Faun Ardèche Classic, his first European race of 2026. He finished seventh in the one-day race won by Paul Seixas.

Despite the absence of the Colombian champion, his British team will certainly aim for a strong overall result at Tirreno-Adriatico. With Thymen Arensman and Filippo Ganna (last year's runner-up in the general classification), they have two strong contenders to compete with.

In the flatter stages, the team can target stage wins with Sam Welsford. Jack Haig, Brandon Rivera, Magnus Sheffield, and Connor Swift are the other five riders who will contend in the 'Race of the Two Seas.'