Tour of Catalonia too soon for injured Egan Bernal

When will we see Egan Bernal back in competition? For now, it is still a futile wait for the return of the Colombian climber. Bernal was scheduled for the Tour of Catalonia (March 23-29), but apparently still suffers too much from an injury.

Notably, Bernal was already not part of the INEOS Grenadiers lineup for Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico. According to Colombian media, the 2019 Tour winner is currently struggling with an injury. Renowned sports journalist Diego Rueda shared via X that Bernal is dealing with a muscle injury, while broadcaster DIRECTV reports knee problems.

It was expected that Bernal would pull on a race number again at the Tour of Catalonia, but he is absent from his team’s final selection. For now, it remains uncertain when we will see the 29-year-old climber in action again.

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

Onley sole GC hope
Without Bernal, INEOS Grenadiers are now relying even more on Oscar Onley. The Brit recently had to withdraw sick from Paris-Nice but is now fit enough to race again. The fourth-place finisher from last year’s Tour de France can count on support from riders such as Laurens De Plus and Bob Jungels. French champion Dorian Godon, meanwhile, will be looking to make his mark in the Catalan sprints.