Colombia opens its cycling 2026 National Road Championships week today in Cundinamarca. The main story is the elite men’s 44-km time trial on Thursday and the 209.9-km road race on Sunday, the two titles that carry Colombia’s tricolor jersey onto WorldTour broadcasts.
Colombia holds its cycling road championships
Colombia’s first races arrive Thursday in Zipaquira (Egan Bernal’s hometown) with the individual time trials, the format that often reveals early-season condition without tactical protection. Women juniors race 13.2 km, while women under-23, women elite, and men juniors race 26.1 km.
Men under 23 and men elite then face the longest time trial of the week, a 44-km test that usually favors riders with strong pacing discipline and aerodynamic efficiency. In Colombia, that title often becomes a selection signal for stage-race leadership, especially when teams build their season around time losses.
Friday shifts to the Tocancipa Autodrome for circuit road races that reward positioning and sprint timing more than climbing. Women juniors cover 67.5 km, and women under 23 plus men juniors race 81 km on the closed-track layout.
Saturday moves into the mountains with a 124.5-km road race from Sopo to Guasca for men under-23 and women elite, a distance long enough to expose endurance and team coordination. Sunday closes with Colombia’s marquee event, the elite men’s road race, 209.9 km starting and finishing at the Mirador Salinas in Zipaquira.
Elite men lead the main story
Colombia’s elite men will effectively race two championships. Thursday’s 44-km time trial in Zipaquira rewards pacing and aerodynamics, while Sunday’s 209.9-km road race, which starts and finishes at the Mirador Salinas, is more likely to be decided by positioning, team numbers, and the final climbs.
Egan Bernal starts as the defending champion for both the Time Trial and Road Race, and he enters as the obvious reference point for the week’s biggest races. The provisional list also includes Daniel Felipe Martinez, Harold Tejada, and Santiago Buitrago, all described by Colombia’s cycling federation as “natural candidates” for the elite title, alongside Bernal’s INEOS teammate Brandon Rivera.
However, the national road race is rarely just a WorldTour showdown. Domestic squads such as Team Medellin EPM, Team Sistecredito and GW Erco Sportfitness bring numbers and local familiarity, and they can force early pressure before the international names commit to a decisive move.
The tricolor jersey shapes Colombia’s 2026 Season
The winners will carry more than medals. In Colombia, the tricolor jersey is a moving national symbol worn on WorldTour broadcasts, and it often changes how a rider is marked by rivals, especially in breakaways and mountain stages.
The championships also function as a contract and role market for Colombia’s under-23 riders, while giving established professionals a public benchmark ahead of international calendars. In reality, with 657 riders provisionally registered across categories, Colombia is not short on talent, but turning depth into long-term results still depends on stable funding and a coherent national calendar.
Sunday’s elite men’s road race will set the first hierarchy of Colombia’s 2026 season. If Bernal repeats, the tricolor jersey stays with the country’s most recognizable name; if Martíinez, Tejada, Buitrago, or a domestic surprise takes it, Colombia enters the season with a different leader marked in every breakaway and mountain stage.