The Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will start for the second year in a row this Monday at Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Girona), the town on the Costa Brava where last year the former Italian cyclist Sonny Colbrelli almost lost his life due to a cardiorespiratory arrest he suffered just after crossing the finish line in second position.
Colbrelli, 32 years old, started a new life a year after this accident after being forced to retire from cycling professionally in October as a result of this illness. And his first venture was in the political field: he represented Silvio Berlusconi’s party, Forza Italia, in the Lombardy regional elections held in February.
The big scare happened on March 21, 2022. The first stage of the Volta, starting and ending in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, took a leg-breaking route perfect for the former Italian cyclist, winner of the Paris-Roubaix classic in 2021, who found himself with the energy to sprint through the uphill finish found in the streets of the maritime town.
In fact, Colbrelli launched the sprint with 200 meters to go. The final pedal strokes were one-on-one between Michael Matthews, who repeated his victory in Sant Feliu de Guíxols in 2019, and the Italian. The duel went to the Australian, who beat him at the last moment.
No one could have imagined then that a few seconds later Colbrelli would have a cardiac arrest.. The quick intervention of doctors was key to saving his life.
Àlex Flor, Volta’s doctor, explained it to EFE a day later: “After crossing the finish line, Colbrelli lost consciousness, began convulsing and went into cardiorespiratory arrest requiring cardiac massage.ventilation and use of a defibrillator”.
And he added: “If it had happened to him during training, the result would probably have been death. By chance it happened on arrival and we ended up in the back, the attention could have been very quick.”
Colbrelli saved his life, but never returned to competition. He had to undergo surgery for his arrhythmia and was given a subcutaneous defibrillator. Italian law prevents the practice of elite sport with this element in the body.
“After what happened in Catalonia, the hope of continuing to be a professional cyclist never disappeared from me., even if it is minimal. I know that the road back will be difficult with a defibrillator, but in Italy this is not allowed by law,” Colbrelli explained in a statement announcing his retirement in October.
After a while, in January, the former Italian cyclist decided to join Forza Italia, Berlusconi’s party. His first experience was in the Lombardy regional elections this past February. But the results were not as expected for Colbrelli.
He appeared in the city of Brescia, near his hometown, Valle Sabbiabut he achieved only 1,378 votes, which means that he finished in fourth position among the applicants for a seat on the Lombardy Regional Council and was left without himself.
“My psychologist, where I started working after Catalonia, helped me overcome difficult moments and change my way of thinking“Colbrelli explained in an interview with the ‘Cyclist’ portal. “It’s not easy, there are dark moments. I’m close to death and leaving mental scars”, the Italian admitted.
Despite having to retire as a professional cyclist, Colbrelli remains linked to his team, Bahrain Victorius. Now he is committed to performing ambassador duties and the door is open to act as sports director in a career. His dream is to create a team for young people to teach them the values of sport.
Source: La Verdad
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