Italian cyclist Sonny Colbrelli, victim of a cardio-respiratory arrest last month, assured that he did not “still” feel like an “ex” runner, stressing that the moment of decisions on the continuation of his career was not come again.
“There will be a time when we will do all the assessments and then we will decide,” said the reigning European champion in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport two weeks after having an internal defibrillator fitted.
Two days before Paris-Roubaix, an event of which he is the title holder, the rider from Bahrain-Victorious indicates that he was not invited to attend the race but specifies that he “would not have gone there anyway” “I don’t feel like an ex yet…”
Colbrelli, 31, had lost consciousness, victim of a cardio-respiratory arrest, after the arrival of the second stage of the Tour of Catalonia, March 21. At the beginning of April, his team announced that he had had a subcutaneous defibrillator (DSC) fitted, “this device makes it possible to correct the heart rhythm if necessary in extreme cases”.
It is still too early to know if the Italian will be able to cycle again in competition. But his case is reminiscent of the recent one of footballer Christian Eriksen, who had to terminate his contract with Inter Milan to return to play in England, because this type of device is deemed in Italy to be incompatible with sports that put a lot of strain on the cardiovascular system.
“At first, I was pissed at the whole world. Why me ? (…) And little by little I looked at the other side of the coin. I was alive to begin with, and from there my trip started again (…) I’m fine and I’m enjoying every moment, ”he explains, assuring that he will follow Paris-Roubaix on television on Sunday.