Egan Bernal once again claimed Colombia’s national road title and champion crown after four days of championship racing. Credit: Dominique Dhoosche / CC BY NC ND 2.0
Egan Bernal is Colombia’s cycling champion again after a triumphant final day at the 2026 National Road Championships in Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca. The Ineos Grenadiers rider successfully defended his elite men’s road race title Sunday, adding a second consecutive national crown in a grueling more-than-200-kilometer test that unfolded over nearly six hours and included punishing climbs and relentless attacks.
Egan Bernal, Colombia’s road cycling champion tops 2026 championships
Bernal, the 2019 Tour de France winner and 2021 Giro d’Italia champion, emerged strongest in a select leading group, outpacing Iván Ramiro Sosa (Kern Pharma) and Juan Felipe Rodríguez (EF Education – Aevolo) in the closing kilometers to take the tricolor jersey. The Colombian star’s victory caps a remarkable resurgence since his near-fatal training crash in 2022, reinforcing his return to top form on home roads.
The national championships unfolded over several days of competition across elite, sub-23 and junior categories, beginning with the individual time trial. In the elite men’s time trial held earlier in the week, Egan Bernal’s Ineos Grenadiers teammate Brandon Rivera claimed the national title with a commanding performance over the 44-kilometer course. Rivera stopped the clock at 47:03 to win ahead of Daniel Felipe Martínez (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) and Rodrigo Contreras (Nu Colombia), while Bernal himself finished fifth in the discipline.
The women’s elite individual time trial saw the triumph of Diana Peñuela, in a tightly contested race. In other categories, Team Sistecrédito riders dominated the under-23 and junior ranks. Samara Bedoya won the women’s under-23 time trial, Jeronimo Calderon captured the men’s under-23 crown, Estefania Castillo topped the junior women, and Jose Manuel Posada claimed the junior men’s time trial title.
Road races followed over the weekend, starting Friday at the Autodromo de Tocancipa. Juan Esteban Sanchez won the junior men’s road race over 81 kilometers, while Salome Vargas took the junior women’s title after 67.5 kilometers.
Luciana Osorio led the women’s under-23 road race the same day, winning the 81-kilometer event with a time of 1:53:10. Diana Corrales and Yalecza Marin finished on the same time to complete the podium.
On Saturday, William Colorado attacked late to secure the men’s under-23 road race title over 124.5 kilometers between Sopo and Guasca. Laura Daniela Rojas won the elite women’s road race on the same course, finishing in 3:27:38 ahead of Valbuena and Peñuela.