Egan Bernal skips Strade Bianche as INEOS Grenadiers change schedule after Gran Camino - "Egan is simply a special case, with his history"

A podium finish at O Gran Camiño together with Jonas Vingegaard and Lenny Martínez may be the most promising result Egan Bernal has put out since his return from injury in late 2022. The Colombian gives signs of still improving his level, and he now skips Strade Bianche as he looks to focus on stage-races over the spring.

“Egan will not be participating in Strade Bianche after all and some changes may be made," INEOS DS Steve Cummings shared with GCN. "We are not yet sure about his further competition program. We'll talk about that in the coming days. We normally want to provide some more clarity, but Egan is simply a special case, with his history.”

Initially, the Colombian was set to race the Italian classic where in the past he has already finished on the podium. After completing two stage-races in February, Bernal stills plans on racing the Vuelta a Catalunya, Itzulia Basque Country and Tour de Romandie this spring. It may also be possible that he changes this schedule if he is to race the Giro d'Italia, which Cummings admits is a possibility: "The next step is to see what he can already achieve in week-long WorldTour stage races. We can then assess which Grand Tour suits him best and what is best for the team," he eexplained.

“Egan is always subservient and wants to perform well, but he still doesn't know where exactly he stands. His third place in O Gran Camiño is without any doubt a good boost. It now remains to be seen how he will recover in the coming days. Then we will make decisions," the former pro concludes. Hence it is also unknown for the time being whether he will take part in Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, or take some rest before focusing on his next goals.