Bad luck seems to be settling on Egan Bernal, already seriously injured in January 2022 in training in Colombia and absent from the pelotons for seven months. This Saturday, the Colombian from Ineos Grenadiers, who was competing in his first race of the season in Europe, was forced to retire after suffering a fall during the 6th stage of the Tour of Catalonia.
Bernal went ashore less than 100 kilometers from the finish after a collision with three riders from the Caja Rural formation. After trying to start again, the Colombian preferred to leave the race for good a few moments later.
According to the Ineos Grenadiers team, Bernal had no apparent fracture but additional examinations were to be carried out in the evening. At the end of January, the climber from Zipaquira had already given up on finishing the Tour de San Juan, Argentina, hampered by knee pain. He was then forced to forfeit the Colombian Championship, the Tour of Andalusia and Paris-Nice.
Far from having regained an acceptable level of form, Bernal was in 42nd place overall, more than twenty-one minutes behind Primoz Roglic. This new abandonment could now call into question his participation in the Tour of the Basque Country (April 3-8).