Egan Bernal is back! INEOS Grenadiers leader set for Tour of the Alps return after unexplained absence disrupts 2026 season

Egan Bernal is set to return to racing later this month at the Tour of the Alps, ending a quietly extended spell on the sidelines that has disrupted the early rhythm of his 2026 season. The INEOS Grenadiers rider has not raced since finishing seventh at the Faun-Ardèche Classic on February 28, with knee problems keeping him out of competition throughout March.

The Colombian had opened his year by retaining his national road race title, a result that pointed towards another step forward after his steady rebuild across 2025.

Instead, his campaign stalled almost immediately afterwards, with expected appearances in the early European stage race block falling away without a clearly defined timeline for his return.

Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Bernal is targeting the Tour of the Alps, scheduled from April 20 to 24, as his comeback race. The five-day event is expected to serve as his final preparation before the Giro d’Italia, where he is likely to be among INEOS’ key options once again.

The gap between Bernal’s last appearance in Ardèche and his planned return in the Alps has been notable not just for its length, but for the limited clarity surrounding it. While knee issues were cited as the reason for his absence, there were no detailed updates or incremental return targets communicated publicly, leaving his schedule in flux through March.

That stop-start pattern has become a recurring feature of Bernal’s post-2022 trajectory. Since his serious training crash, periods of clear progress have often been followed by short interruptions, making it difficult to build sustained momentum across a full block of racing.

In 2026, that pattern reappeared at a moment when expectations were beginning to rise again. His national title suggested a rider capable of competing consistently at a high level, but the weeks that followed instead brought another reset.

Bernal’s planned return at the Tour of the Alps is not simply a case of easing back into racing. Positioned just weeks before the Giro d’Italia, it represents a critical test of both condition and continuity.

The race’s mountainous profile offers a clear gauge of climbing form, while also providing one of the final opportunities to assess race sharpness against a strong field. For Bernal, the objective will be less about immediate results and more about confirming that he can string together consecutive race days without issue.

He remains the only non-European rider to have won both the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, and his previous success at the latter in 2021 ensures that any return to that race carries expectation. However, the disrupted nature of his early season means his build-up has been far from ideal.

The coming weeks will therefore shape how his 2026 campaign is ultimately judged. The return itself is a positive step, but whether it marks the start of a sustained run of racing or another temporary reset remains the key question as Bernal looks to re-establish his place among the leading contenders.