Ineos Grenadiers rider Brandon Rivera secured a dominant victory in the elite men’s individual time trial at the 2026 Colombian National Road Championships on Thursday. Competing in his hometown, Rivera delivered a remarkable performance to claim his first professional national title against the clock, clocking a time of 47 minutes and 3 seconds over the 44-kilometer course.
Brandon Rivera wins Colombia’s Time Trial Championship
The 29-year-old Zipaquira native surpassed the pre-race favorite and four-time champion Daniel Felipe Martínez of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Martinez secured the silver medal but finished a significant 1 minute and 53 seconds behind Rivera. The bronze medal was awarded to Rodrigo Contreras of Nu Colombia, who recorded the same time as Martínez but lost the second-place spot by mere milliseconds.
Defending champion Egan Bernal, also of Ineos Grenadiers, finished in fifth place with a time of 50 minutes and 10 seconds, more than three minutes behind his teammate. Other notable performances in the elite men’s category included Walter Vargas of Team Medellin, who took fourth place. The race was marked by challenging gusts of wind and a mechanical setback for Harold Tejada of Astana, whose title hopes were dashed after a puncture and a subsequent bike change.
Huge congratulations to Brandon Rivera who put in a fantastic performance to win the Colombian National Time Trial title 🇨🇴🏆#NacionalesRuta2026 pic.twitter.com/FBWKjnoXj7
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) February 5, 2026
Diana Peñuela Won the Women’s Colombian National Road Championships
In the younger men’s categories, Jerónimo Calderon of Team Sistecredito claimed the gold medal in the Sub-23 division. He was followed by silver medalist Juan Diego Quintero and bronze medalist Sebastian Umbarilla. The junior men’s title was won by José Manuel Posada, a rider formed by Sistecredito who currently competes for the Italian team CPS.
The women’s competitions were headlined by Diana Peñuela, who was crowned the elite women’s national time trial champion. Peñuela, a former Vuelta a Colombia winner, continues her successful career by earning the right to wear the national tricolor jersey in upcoming international and domestic competitions.
The Sub-23 women’s category saw a sweep for Team Sistecrédito, with Samara Bedoya taking the gold medal with a time of 34 minutes and 23 seconds. Her teammate Natalia Garzón earned the silver, while Angie Marian Londoño of Orgullo Paisa took the bronze.
In the junior women’s category, Estefanía Londoño of Team Sistecrédito emerged as the champion, finishing the course in 18 minutes and 13 seconds. The silver medal went to Lineth Valentina García of the Liga de Cundinamarca, who finished just eight seconds behind Londoño, and Valeria Vargas of Sistecrédito secured the bronze medal. The results across the youth categories highlighted a strong day for Team Sistecrédito, which secured nearly every title outside of the elite men’s division.