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Sonny Colbrelli is recovering in a Spanish hospital Tuesday following a dramatic finish-line health emergency in Monday’s opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya.
Bahrain-Victorious said Tuesday morning that the Italian star will undergo more tests in a Spanish hospital.
“After being admitted to Hospital Universitari de Girona Doctor Josep Trueta, Sonny Colbrelli was conscious and feeling OK. He has since been in touch with family and friends as he recovers at the hospital,” a team statement read Tuesday.
“He will undergo further tests today to discover the cause of yesterday’s incident. All cardiac tests carried out last night showed no signs of concern or compromised functions.”
Overnight, a medical communique from Volta a Catalunya race organizers confirmed details of the life-threatening health scare involving Colbrelli at the Spanish WorldTour race after the sprint in Monday’s first stage.
According to an official statement released Monday evening, race officials confirm that the Bahrain-Victorious star lost consciousness and went into convulsions before suffering what is described as a cardiopulmonary arrest moments after crossing the finish line.
Officials say that paramedics on the scene immediately started to perform CPR and used a defibrillator to reanimate the 2021 Paris-Roubaix winner.
The 31-year-old Colbrelli regained consciousness and was transported to a regional hospital, the statement said.
“About 100 meters after crossing the finish line, Colbrelli lost consciousness with seizures and subsequently suffered cardiopulmonary arrest,” a statement read. “Paramedics immediately attended to him and were able to reverse the situation with CPR and the use of a defibrillator.”
The communique is the first official confirmation to provide more details about the dramatic scene at the finish line Monday in Sant Feliu de Guíxols in Catalunya.
Witnesses described seeing Colbrelli come across the line after finishing second in a grinding uphill finale, and was about to greet someone when he suddenly collapsed on his bike, Spanish newspaper El Periódico reported.
Video images show health workers holding screens to block the view as several paramedics attended to Colbrelli, a common practice in health emergencies in Spain.
It’s unclear how long he remained unconscious, but local media and team officials said Colbrelli was conscious when he left by ambulance with a police escort toward Girona, about 35km away.
Also read: Sonny Colbrelli is ‘conscious and talking’ after finish-line incident
Colbrelli skipped Milan-San Remo over the weekend after pulling out of Paris-Nice earlier this month with what team officials said was bronchitis. Videos of Colbrelli showed him smiling at the start and eager to return to competition ahead of the important classics period.
The race communique released Monday evening provided additional details to what Bahrain-Victorious team officials revealed after the incident.
“Following the sprint on Stage 1 of Volta a Catalunya, Sonny Colbrelli fell unconscious,” a team statement read Monday. “Colbrelli underwent further medical assistance, and he was in stable condition upon being taken into an ambulance to Hospital Universitari de Girona to investigate his condition further. Team Bahrain Victorious would like to thank the organizers and the medical teams for their support and assistance.”
Social media boards were alight with support and words of encouragement for Colbrelli and the Bahrain-Victorious team.