The impressive recovery of Egan Bernal following broken collarbone at Clásica Jaén: "Three days later he was training again"
Cycling
Egan Bernal started the 2025 season with promising double national title, but the excitement rapidly cooled down after a disaster struck at Clásica Jáen. The Colombian lost balance in one of the gravel turns and crashed, causing a fracture of collarbone. It seemed like Bernal's spring was doomed, but he quickly recovered with a 7th place at Volta a Catalunya.
"He was hoping for a bit more on those two first mountain stages and stage 6 was a important test that finally we weren't able to see. I think we can still take confidence from it, though for sure without that test there's still going to be a little bit of wondering in the mind," sports director Zak Dempster told Cyclingnews. "But we just have to continue the process, it is what it is, we still have full confidence, that's for sure."
Giro d'Italia is now the Colombian's big objective. Asked if he would be doing more racing prior to the Giro as a result of missing out on that high mountains stage, Dempster said, "No. The plan is to get back to training and we just continue with the current plan."
The crashes seem to be haunting INEOS' GC leaders so far this year, but compared to Carlos Rodríguez, Bernal was dealt a good hand. Rodríguez who broke his collarbone badly in the UAE Tour, running the same time as the Clásica Jaén, will be sidelined until mid-April. "Carlos had a more complicated fracture that he couldn't get surgery on and it meant that we just had to do the best thing for his health."
"Carlos is rested fully and now he's back on the bike," and although a date has not yet been set for his return to racing, a definitive assessment for when that could be is due mid-April, Dempster says. "But in Egan's case, three days later he was training again."
"I visited Egan in the hospital and he was even pushing to do Ruta [Vuelta a Andalucia which began two days after Jaén, ed.] because he said he felt so good. But that's Egan, isn't it?" Dempster said with a grin. "You've never lucky to break a bone, but in this case it was quick, which is always better."
"It'd be hard to find a more resilient guy," said Dempster. "He's a guy that leads through his actions, and he speaks up, he's not afraid to say what he thinks. He's been through a lot and to have him there as an example, not only for the riders but for everyone, is very important and we shouldn't overlook that fact."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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