Cycling, Colbrelli’s Roubaix one year ago. What now dreams of returning

Today, a year ago, Sonny Colbrelli triumphed in the sprint in the Paris-Roubaix, which returned to Italy after 22 years: the Belgian Vermeersch and the Dutch Van der Poel were beaten. It was the high point of his career: his exultation on the velodrome lawn remains in history.

Three months later, on March 21, the cardiac arrest at the Vuelta Catalunya in Spain. Colbrelli risked dying and was saved by a nurse with a defibrillator. Back in Italy, he underwent heart surgery in Padua and was implanted with a subcutaneous defibrillator, a life-saving instrument. Now, at 32, the man from Brescia rides a bike with amateurs and waits to understand what his future as a professional cyclist will be. Under the current Italian rules, competitive activity is prohibited. But those images of the Roubaix cannot be forgotten.