15/11/2022

"He will stay with us until at least the end of 2024" - Sonny Colbrelli stays with Bahrain and new role is detailed

Sonny Colbrelli has been forced to retire from pro cycling recently, following the diagnosis of a cardiac arrhythmia. He plans on staying inside the pro peloton however, and will do so with a role at Bahrain - Victorious where he raced the final years of his career.

“The Bahrain team came into existence in 2017 and Sonny was there from the first year,” team manager Milan Ezren told Gazzetta dello Sport. “After Vincenzo Nibali, he was the second name we bet on with great confidence. He will stay with us until at least the end of 2024, because we are sure he can give us a lot more. We never doubted this. We also hoped that he would be able to return as a rider, but of course health comes first. It was the right choice.”

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Colbrelli had a subcutaneous defibrillator installed and could not return to competition. The health complications that could arise if he was to remove it could prove very harsh in the future, and he has decided to end his career whilst on his very best form, shortly after winning Paris-Roubaix and the European Championships in a short period of time.

“He will above all become ambassador, promoter of the team and promoter of several sponsors, including the Italian sponsors we have. Furthermore, especially for the classics, he will share his experience," Ezren confirmed. "We have a first team camp in Altea, Spain, from December 5-17. There he could stay with us for a few days. And I can envision him participating in the explorations of the northern classics.”

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The Italian will have a management role within the team's development ranks and be an ambassador for it, as was the case with Joaquín Rodríguez when the team was first created. “We have agreements with teams such as Cycling Team Friuli and the Cannibal Team, whose name is a reference to the great Eddy Merckx. It is a junior team that impressed with several victories in 2022. It has a base in Belgium and Sonny is at home in Belgium. He has so much to learn and pass on to others.”

“As a rider he was good at making decisions within seconds, which is a very important quality for those at the helm of a team. We will see," he concluded.