INEOS Grenadiers spring Strade Bianche surprise as Egan Bernal left out despite prior backing

Just days after publicly backing Egan Bernal as their reference rider for Strade Bianche, INEOS Grenadiers have revealed an official lineup for the Tuscan gravel classic that does not include the Colombian at all.

The announcement has raised eyebrows because Bernal had been presented internally as the rider the team would rely on for the race in Siena.

Speaking earlier about the Italian spring programme, sports director Leonardo Basso had been clear where the team’s focus lay.

“For Strade Bianche, we naturally have Egan Bernal,” Basso said in conversation with Bici.Pro. “He already finished on the podium in 2021 and knows how to race it. We rely on his talent. He will be our reference point on Saturday.”

The squad now confirmed by INEOS paints a very different tactical picture.

Rather than building around a single protected leader, the team will start Strade Bianche with:

The absence of Bernal suggests a shift away from the leadership structure that had been outlined publicly, towards a more flexible approach built on depth and opportunism.

Bernal’s omission is particularly notable given his previous success in the race. The Colombian finished third in the 2021 edition, proving he can handle the unique demands of Tuscany’s sterrato sectors and the explosive finish into Siena.

Instead, INEOS will arrive with a group offering a broader mix of options.

Haig and Hamilton add climbing strength for the race’s decisive hills. Swift and Rivera bring experience on rough terrain and the ability to race aggressively when the gravel sectors start to split the peloton. Laurance adds punch if the finale is contested by a reduced group, while Heiduk and Shmidt provide further support in what is often an attritional, chaotic race where positioning and resilience matter as much as outright power.

Bernal’s absence from Strade Bianche may also reflect the team’s priorities for the coming weeks.

In the same interview, Basso described an Italian block that continues immediately after Strade, with Bernal expected to remain in the country for Tirreno-Adriatico, where he and Thymen Arensman are set to lead the team’s general classification ambitions.

That stage race could offer clearer signals about how INEOS intend to approach the Giro d’Italia later this season. For now, though, the immediate story is the contradiction between what was said and what has been selected.

INEOS have backed Bernal publicly as their focal point for Strade Bianche. Their official lineup now tells a different story.