"Everything looks okay now": Uno-X share reassuring news about their young climber's health state

Uno-X Mobility had a shocker at the end of this October. One of their youngest riders, Simon Dalby, suffered two brain blood clots while at home. Fortunately, the 22-year-old Dane was immediately transported by his parents to hospital, where he received treatment in time. That will be key to Dalby's smooth recovery and return to the peloton.

"Six weeks later we are pleased to confirm that Simon is making good progress and has structurally resumed his training," his team informed through social media.

"From one second to the next, something just wasn’t right," Dalby explained the scary moment when his body gave out. "I became very dizzy and partially paralysed on my right side, and I could immediately feel that something was wrong."

Further specialist examinations later identified the most likely cause: a very small congenital opening between the chambers of Simon’s heart, known as a PFO (patent foramen ovale). "This is a very common condition," explains Uno-X Mobility Team Doctor Rory Nolan. "Between 20 and 25 percent of people have it, and for the vast majority it never causes any problems at all."

In rare cases, however, the opening can allow a small blood clot to pass through the heart and travel to the brain. "In Simon’s case, that is what we believe happened," Nolan adds.

Dalby was very fortunate all things considered. Had the blood clots struck him while out cycling instead of eating dinner with parents, the consequences could've been much more severe.

"I’ve been very aware of how lucky I’ve been throughout the whole process," Dalby says. "It could have been much worse, and the fact that it happened at home, with my parents there, made a big difference."

A month ago, Simon underwent a routine and well-established medical procedure to close the opening in his heart. Follow-up examinations have shown that the procedure was successful, with no indications of any lasting issues.

"Everything now looks exactly as it should," Nolan gives reassuring news. "This was a case of very bad luck in an otherwise extremely healthy young athlete. The key point is that we’ve identified the most likely explanation and been able to address it."

Dalby has already been training consistently and will continue to build up under close medical supervision. There is no fixed timetable for a return to racing, but the expectation remains that he can resume competition during the spring. "Right now the focus is just on building things back up step by step and enjoying being back on the bike," Dalby concludes. "I’m motivated to move forward."