Sonny Colbrelli exclusive: ‘My family thought I was dead’ – Cyclist reflects on collapse scare and journey

Sonny Colbrelli, who announced his retirement from professional cycling in October last year after an unstable cardiac arrhythmia, has spoken to Eurosport in a special interview.

Ahead of Paris-Roubaix, the 32-year-old spent some time with Eurosport for the returning series, The Power of Sport, to reflect on the powerful emotions associated with that day and all he went through as a result of the collapse.

“Exactly one year has passed now,” he told the show. “I wanted to watch the first stage of Catalunya because it was in that one that I didn’t feel well, and while I was watching it, I was closing my eyes and seeing all those moments I still remember.

He recalled: “When I crossed the finish line, I went looking for my team, my doctor, my masseur. I remember that I drank some water and then everything went black. I woke up in a hospital bed with a lot of doctors, nurses and all the team managers around me.

“I could tell from their eyes that they weren’t happy. At that moment, I realised something bad had happened to me.

“Those who were watching on TV, especially my family, thought I was dead because of the white screen [used to shield him by medical staff]. It wasn’t easy for the people who were watching from home, they were awful moments I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The important thing is that I’m here and I’m well.

“I’m slowly changing my mentality, but I’ve already come a long way: for example, I kept cycling. At first, when I was in that hospital bed, I said to myself, ‘that’s enough, Sonny, cycling has given a lot to you, but now it’s time to change your life’.

“But this wasn’t the case. The next day at the hospital, I grabbed my phone and watched the second stage of Catalunya. However, my mentality is certainly changing over time, and this has to happen because I am no longer a racer, I am a former racer and I have to understand it.

“Being together with my team and my team-mates helps me a lot, and my friends are supporting me too, they help me visualise my new life.

“Physically, the important thing is that I’m fine, and I can ride a bike, which is really important for me. In the past, I would train hard for races before, but now I’m enjoying life, I enjoy cycling. I ride for two to three hours, not more.”

It has been a tough transition for Colbrelli from the all-out commitment required to be a professional cyclist with a leading team, and he has reflected on the journey he has been through in adapting to the changes.

“Let’s just say that a lot has changed in these months,” he said. “Last year at this time, not in this exact period but around this time, I was in the first classic cycle races. I was here, in this villa, with my team-mates, ready to take part in an important season. It was 2022, right after the 2021 season, right after winning the Italian Championships, the Paris-Roubaix, and the Flanders tour.

“You know, life has changed, but the most important thing is that I’m here, with my family, my friends, and with my team that has always stood by my side. But it’s not easy to look at the riders taking part in the competition from my car on the roadside. My life has changed a lot during this past year.

“After winning Paris-Roubaix, everything changed. I had another perspective, another way of looking at things, of working in preparation for the new season. After what happened, I definitely look at life in a different way.

“Normally when a rider chooses to their career, they’re psychologically ready. They say, ‘okay, this is my last year’. For me, it all happened unexpectedly. I wasn’t ready. Even today, it’s difficult for me to accept I’m not there anymore, in the middle of the group. But thanks to the help of many people, of my friends, of my psychological coach, I’m getting over it.

“In the worst period, as I have always said, the most important thing was my children, who made me look forward. My family is the most important thing, but in general, I was never left alone by my team, first and foremost.

“Ever since the day after the accident, when I was in hospital, they told me the door would always be open for me and that if I wasn’t going to be able to go back to professional racing, I would be given another important role within the team. This is not something to be taken for granted and I have to thank my team, Bahrain Victorious, that has always supported me, also in those difficult moments.

“The worst moment was in December when I went to the first training camp with my team. I arrived at the hotel to see that my name was no longer on the riders’ room list.

“When they deliver the uniforms and the bikes and you are not there with them, it is very difficult. Also, when you are in the car following them during training and you say, ‘I am here and I could have been there with them instead’.

“Definitely, the first races were not good times either, like my first race, which was the opening weekend in Omloop. It was really strange because the year before I had come second behind [Wout] Van Aert and now I am here playing a different role. There were certainly difficult moments, but I have always looked ahead.”

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