A big scare and rather reassuring news. Because ultimately, Sonny Colbrelli was still lucky in his misfortune. Victim of discomfort soon after finishing his sprint in second place, Monday, during the first stage of the Tour of Catalonia in Sant Feliu de Guixols, behind Michael Matthews, the sprinter immediately collapsed, victim “of a episode of loss of consciousness with convulsions and subsequent cardio-respiratory arrest”.
Fortunately for him, the emergency services on the spot were able to intervene immediately. They revived the runner, performed cardiac massage and used a defibrillator, said a press release from the race organization. In these cases, the speed of support is indeed decisive. Colbrelli was then transported to Girona University Hospital by ambulance and it was during the trip that he regained consciousness, according to several Spanish media.
Italian and European champion, the Bahrain sprinter Victorius is now in a “stable condition” according to his team, who thanked the organizers and the doctors on Monday for “their support and their help”.
Sonny Colbrelli was making his return to racing in Catalonia after being ill (bronchitis) during Paris-Nice with a retirement from the second stage. Many runners had also been victims of a virus during this race. The winner of Paris-Roubaix 2021 then gave up Milan-San Remo, the first major classic of the season that his Slovenian teammate Matej Mohoric won on Saturday.