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news
Sonny Colbrelli (credit: Rudy Project/Bettini Photo)Sonny Colbrelli has defibrillator fitted after collapsing at Volta a Catalunya finish
Reigning Paris-Roubaix champion Sonny Colbrelli was discharged from hospital in Italy today, 48 hours after having a defibrillator fitted following his collapse at the Volta a Catalunya.
The Bahrain-Victorious rider collapsed and lost consciousness moments after finishing second to Michael Matthews on the opening stage of the week-long Spanish race on 21 March.
His team later confirmed that the European champion suffered an unstable cardiac arrhythmia. Paramedics were quickly on the scene with a defibrillator, and performed CPR to help the rider regain consciousness.
> Sonny Colbrelli in stable condition in hospital after collapsing at Volta a Catalunya finish
Colbrelli spent a week in hospital in Girona before being transferred to a specialist heart disease centre in Padua, Italy. On Thursday he underwent a successful subcutaneous defibrillator (ICD) implantation operation. According to the rider’s doctor, Professor Domenico Corrado, the device “works to correct the rhythm of the heart if it’s needed in extreme cases.”
Professor Corrado said: “In Padova, the athlete underwent comprehensive clinical, genetic and imaging evaluation to identify the cause of the arrhythmia that led to cardiac arrest and the most appropriate therapy. The decision to implant a life-saving device has been shared by Colbrelli who received a subcutaneous ICD.”
In Italy it is not permitted to take part in competitive sport if you have a permanent subcutaneous defibrillator fitted, a position which led to the termination of Christian Eriksen’s Inter Milan contract last December after the Denmark international collapsed during the European Championships, and which may also prove a major stumbling block to Colbrelli’s hopeful return to the peloton, at least in his home country.
Colbrelli, who said last week that it was a “miracle” that he survived, told La Gazzetta dello Sport from hospital that he was initially optimistic about a rapid return to racing but, after speaking with his doctors, is now exercising caution.
“It's already a miracle I'm alive, now it would take another to get me back on the saddle,” he said. “I know I've been lucky but I don't want to end things like this.”
The 31-year-old had been hoping to build upon what was undoubtedly the best season of his life in 2021, when he won the Benelux Tour, the European Championships, and – most dramatically – a muddy, autumn edition of Paris-Roubaix ahead of Mathieu van der Poel and Florian Vermeersch.
Colbrelli started 2022 in much the same vein, finishing second behind a rampant Wout van Aert at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, before withdrawing early from Paris-Nice due to bronchitis.
Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
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9 comments
It's high time this discriminatory law was challenged. Eriksen is clearly doing fine, I wonder if the fact it now affects an Italian star sportsperson will lead to a change.
It Is complicated and I agree that some might be able to compete.
In th UK we are not allowed to drive for 6 months after having an ICD fitted and the ban restarts whenever the defibrillator fires. Some system along with a medical certificate ought to be possible. The ICD can be set to report any incidents where the heart goes outside of safe limits.
As well as the device I would imagine that a patient will have a number of drugs which might cause a problem.
I had an ICD fitted about 10 years ago and after another unstable period (5 cardiac arrests) last year I had my medication changed and the result was that I struggled to even ride over a railway bridge and a slight head wind had me down to walking pace. I now ride an Ebike so I can still get out but that obviously isn't going to be an option for Sonny. I would be very surprised if he ever races again and in the very unlikely event that he does see this comment I wish him a speedy recovery back a a new normal life.
It is not as simple as it sounds. Contact sports generally should be avoided as if the device goes off when others are in close contact it can also shock them. Also the delicate wires and very expensive device can be damaged. As for cycling the big danger is that if the ICD fires off, then the whole peleton are at risk of being brought down, as it will render the cyclist with the implant unable to function normally. Even riding solo if an incident happened the cyclist could still put him/herself and other road users at risk. After implantation the patient is banned from driving for six months.
I had an ICD fitted five years ago after two episodes of sustained VT (ventricular tachycardia). Both incidents happened when out cycling and were only brought under control after defibrillation. Fortunately I am still alive and kicking but the cycling and all endurance/ strenuous exercise had to stop. Cardiomyopathy comes in different forms and can cause sudden death especially in young athletes. In my case Arrythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is progressive and aggravated by excercise. Normally this particular condition is genetic but can be brought about by excessive endurance activity this is now known as Exercise Induced ARVC. So, be warned and get checked out regularly if you think that your fitness regime fits this criteria.
One of my mates got a damaged heart through riding with a virus, his heart went into overdrive and got damaged. Long term he has to have treatment to resync the upper and lower chambers.
He hasn't had to have an operation (there is no solution to his problem aside from some sort of defibrillator treatment) but he's been riding with us on an e-bike for several years now, he has to keep his heart rate below130bpm.
I think the lesson from him is don't push through an illness with strenuous exercise, keep it moderate.
I wish Sonny well in his recovery. I think it is too early to tell the possible outcomes.
In May 2012 I had a couple of cardiac arrests and had an ICD fitted. My incident was two months after the one experienced by Fabrice Muamba. I was struggling to even walk a few miles and wondering if I would ever get back to my admittedly low level of fitness before the arrest. I then heard that FM had travelled to Europe to find out if he could continue his football career. Even though for him it was not the news he wanted, the fact that he even asked the question was an inspiration to me at the time and kept me working at my own improvement.
Hopefully Sonny can get inspiration from reading about Christian Eriksen including rave reports today, and see what is possible. I am sure he will also see cycling and sport in a new perspective which will help if he does have to end his racing.
After one miracle the second should be easier. I will be keeping my fingers crossed for him.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I wish you well going forward.
Thank you. I am fine, in fact better than in the 15 years before the arrest. It just takes a bit of a battle for months to get back to fitness. The turning point was discovering cycling again.