Egan Bernal, the former Tour de France champion, suffered a fractured collarbone in a crash at the Clasica Jaen race, as stated by his team, Ineos Grenadiers.
The athlete was involved in a crash with nine other riders in the final stretch of the race, while his teammate, Michal Kwiatkowski, surged ahead to win the event in Spain.
In a social media post, the Ineos Grenadiers said: “Following a thorough assessment at the hospital this evening after his crash at #ClasicaJaen, Egan has been diagnosed with a fractured clavicle…He will remain under the expert care of our medical team, and a comprehensive recovery plan will be implemented to support his return to training and racing.”
Bernal’s current performance
The 28-year-old athlete secured his first Colombian National Road title on home soil earlier this month, marking his first victory since a nearly fatal high-speed crash in 2022.
Bernal shared: “I was really happy to start racing again in Europe, especially with my new Colombian jersey and also starting with a victory from Kwiato… The way we raced was great and it was really nice to be part of a strong team. I was feeling really strong and obviously I’m sad to have crashed, but at the same time the way I felt during the race gave me a lot of confidence and motivation to keep working hard.”
He added: “I’ve felt very good in the three races that I have done, so I just have to keep working and I hope to be back soon.”
Bernal had been getting ready for a series of races in Italy, with plans to target his second Giro d’Italia title in May.