“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, quote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, quote”} }”>
Get access to everything we post when you >”,”name”:”in-content-cta”,”type”:”link”}}”>Join VeloNews or Outside+.
Sonny Colbrelli is recuperating in a Spanish hospital on Tuesday after a dramatic health emergency at the finish line of the first stage of the Catalunya Volta on Monday.
Bahrain-Victorious said Tuesday morning that the Italian star will undergo further tests at a Spanish hospital.
“After being admitted to Girona University Hospital, Dr. Josep Trueta Sonny Colbrelli was conscious and feeling fine. Since then, he has kept in touch with family and friends while he recovers in the hospital,” the team said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Today he will undergo additional tests to find out the cause of yesterday’s incident. All cardiac tests performed last night showed no signs of anxiety or dysfunction.”
Overnight, a medical communiqué from race organizers Volta a Catalunya confirmed the details of a life-threatening health threat to Colbrelli at the Spanish WorldTour race after a sprint on the first stage on Monday.
According to an official statement released Monday evening, race officials confirm that the winning Bahrain star collapsed and began convulsing before suffering what is described as a cardiopulmonary arrest moments after crossing the finish line.
Officials say paramedics at the scene immediately began CPR and used a defibrillator to resuscitate the 2021 Paris-Roubaix winner.
The statement said Colbrelli, 31, regained consciousness and was taken to a regional hospital.
“Approximately 100 meters after crossing the finish line, Colbrelli collapsed due to convulsions and subsequently suffered cardiopulmonary arrest,” the statement said. “The ambulance took him in immediately and were able to turn the tide with cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of a defibrillator.”
The communiqué is the first official confirmation providing more details about the dramatic scene at the finish line on Monday in Sant Feliu de Guixols in Catalonia.
Witnesses said they saw Colbrelli cross the finish line after finishing second in a tough uphill final and were about to greet someone when he suddenly fell on his bike, Spanish newspaper El Periódico reported.
Video images show medical workers holding screens to block their view as several paramedics visit Colbrelli, a common emergency practice in Spain.
It is not clear how long he remained unconscious, but local media and team officials reported that Colbrelli was conscious when he left in an ambulance escorted by police towards Girona, about 35 km away.
Also read: Sonny Colbrelli “awake and talking” after finishing incident
Colbrelli missed Milan-San Remo over the weekend after flying out of Paris-Nice earlier this month with what team officials said was bronchitis. Colbrelli’s video shows him smiling at the start and looking forward to getting back into competition ahead of an important classic period.
A race communiqué released on Monday evening provided additional details of what the Bahrain Winning team officials revealed after the incident.
“Following a sprint on stage 1 of the Volta a Catalunya, Sonny Colbrelli passed out,” the team said in a statement on Monday. “Colbrelli received additional medical attention and his condition was stable when he was taken to the ambulance at Girona University Hospital for further examination of his condition. Team Bahrain Victorious would like to thank the organizers and medical teams for their support and assistance.”
Social media boards were full of support and words of encouragement for Colbrelli and the Bahrain Winner team.
The official communique issued on Monday by the organizers of the race.