"My life stopped, but at the same time it changed" - Sonny Colbrelli reflects on the moment his heart stopped beating

It was on the 21st of March, 2022 at the Volta a Catalunya that Sonny Colbrelli's heart stopped beating momentarily. Now a year on he's been reflecting on the incident that could have so easily brought about a much sadder outcome.

"Who forgets that March 21st? From there my life stopped, but at the same time it changed," Colbrelli says on his social media. "When I woke up in the hospital and they told me what had happened, the first thing I thought was Eriksen: I follow football and who hasn't lived his experience," referring to Danish footballer Christian Eriksen who suffered a heart attack mid match during Euro 2020.

“I looked for his number. After a few days I managed to get it and I wrote him a message, almost scared, and he immediately told me with a message 'if you wait ten minutes I'll leave the locker room and call you back," the Italian continues. "When he writes to you, a great champion, after what happened to him, and you see him there playing for Manchester United, it is a great joy for me and it has given me the strength to go on, even if I will no longer be a rider."