Bernal doubles up at Colombian nationals

Egan Bernal won his first ever Colombian National Road title in emphatic style with a solo victory in Bucaramanga.

The INEOS Grenadier completed the set of national titles this season following victory on Thursday in the Time Trial event.

Following huge support from teammate Brandon Rivera and the Colombian fans, Bernal pushed clear with nine kilometres to go, opening out a gap to win by a commanding margin of two minutes and 16 seconds.

Bernal had gone away alongside Diego Camargo (Team Medellin-EPM), with the duo opening out an unassailable advantage over the chasers, with the trio behind not able to cooperate on the run-in.

Rivera had helped make the race hard, launching moves and helping to thin out the leading group. He played the ultimate team game on the way to a fifth-place finish. It was Rivera who really kicked the race into life with 55km to go, helping to force a selection and laying the foundations for Bernal’s emotional victory.

The win marked the first time the 28 year old was able to get his hands in the air since his Giro d’Italia victory in 2021.