Egan Bernal best of the rest after Tadej Pogačar’s latest Catalunya masterclass

The signs have been there since O Gran Camiño at the start of February when Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) muscled his way onto the podium. He followed that performance with a dogged seventh overall in Paris-Nice but the Colombian took his biggest leap yet on Saturday as he continued his return to the pinnacle of the sport with second place behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) on stage 6 of the Volta a Catalunya.

Bernal, who came into the Queen stage sitting ninth overall, moved up six places to third after putting in his best climbing performance since his win at the 2021 Giro d’Italia to finish 57 seconds down on run-away leader Pogačar, and just ahead of Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step). With just one stage remaining, Bernal is now third overall and on for his first WorldTour podium since his return from the life-threatening crash that took place just over two years ago.

• Read more: Whisper it quietly, but Egan Bernal is looking like a stage race leader again

“I didn’t expect this. I’m just happy and really motivated to keep working,” was Bernal’s rather understated first quote after the stage to Queralt.

The 27-year-old was both unable and unwilling to follow Pogačar’s attack on the Collada de Sant Isidre climb with around 30km to go. Instead, he rode the first category climb at his own pace before heading off in hot pursuit of Landa. The Soudal rider had been the only rider able to briefly respond to Pogačar’s searing attacks before eventually relenting, and on the descent, the Spaniard linked up with Bernal before sharing the pace duties in the valley before the final climb.

Their double act failed to make any impression on Pogačar’s near-minute lead but they held off and then cracked Enric Mas (Movistar) who had hoped to nullify Bernal’s advantage and save his own podium hopes with a solo counterattack of his own.

“I knew that Tadej was on another level so I didn’t even try and go with him,” Bernal added.

“He’s just at another level, so I matched my effort and I was feeling good. I jumped to catch Landa and we worked really well together. He actually helped me a lot, so I should thank him a lot.”

At the finish, Bernal sprinted for the six bonus seconds, and although he sits well adrift of Pogačar at 4:53 in the overall standings, he has a buffer of 53 seconds over Mas in fourth.

• Read more: Volta a Catalunya stage 6: Tadej Pogačar once again untouchable on Queen stage

There is still one more tough stage to come before the conclusion of the race on Sunday, but Bernal’s performance has provided another key indication of his improving condition. He is not in the conversation with regards to the Grand Tour contenders for 2024 but he put significant time into the likes of Mas, Sepp Kuss and Aleksandr Vlasov. He hasn’t done that in quite some time and the Tour de France spot is looking more and more likely as the season unfolds.

He was solid in O Gran Camiño before following that up with seventh in Paris-Nice – his first WorldTour stage race of the season. Catalunya is a climbing feast, and was always going to provide a sterner litmus test of the Colombian’s true colours ahead of a busy summer of racing, but he has risen to the challenge.

“I think, for sure, this is another step forward but I just need to keep my feet on the ground. There’s still a lot of work to do but I should be happy and really proud of myself, and all of my family, and all those who have been with me,” he added.