Sonny Colbrelli on Paris-Roubaix: "That one win changed my life forever"

Sonny Colbrelli concluded his career recently, but has had a stint in cycling much more successful than the average rider. Looking back on his wins, he details the day he won Paris-Roubaix in 2021.

"After Paris-Roubaix there was a complete explosion in my head. That one win changed my life forever," Colbrelli said in an interview with Cyclist. "Already it was such a special day for me, so much emotion and joy, and when I remember 21st March in Catalunya (when he suffered a cardiac arrest) I always remember Paris-Roubaix and that feeling, lying on the floor after the sprint. It’s hard to explain such a feeling."

After many years of being an very consistent sprinter, puncheur and classics rider, everything clicked in 2021. He took stage wins at the Tour de Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné alongside points classifications, the Italian national championships, however his season would still dramatically improve from there on.

He was close but couldn't take a win at the Tour de France. Afterwards however he took the overall win at the Benelux following a stage win in Houffalize. The following weekend he won the European Championships after resisting the attacks of Remco Evenepoel close to home in Trento. He won the Memorial Marco Pantani and finished in 10th at the World Championships before his final goal of the season, Paris-Roubaix.

In a very rainy and muddy day in the cobbled of northern France he survived the attacks of Mathieu van der Poel and Florian Vermeersch, and managed to hold himself on the bike on very difficult conditions.

"With 10km to go I was already super-happy. I was asking myself, ‘Who in their first time at the race is in the position for the podium, or the win, at Paris-Roubaix?’ I kept telling myself, ‘Sonny, you will follow Mathieu van der Poel'," he continued. "With 1km to go I remember saying, ‘When we start in the velodrome make sure you’re in second or third, not in first.’ I remember this clearly above all else. After that I just told myself again, ‘Follow Mathieu.’"

The trio entered the velodrome isolated and in a very balanced battle for the win. "With 100m to go I started my sprint to follow Florian Vermeersch and my legs were dead, zero energy, zero power, but I followed and then with maybe 15m to go I jumped Vermeersch and then the rest was a wave of emotion," he described. It was his only monument win and biggest career achievement. 

"The day was incredible, not just the win but the race, the rain, the faces black with mud. My friends joke that this was the best race. Maybe it was for them, but not for me in those conditions. But of course it is a day that I will never forget. I still have everything from that day – the helmet, jersey, shoes, bike, everything still not washed. Although I think my wife would prefer if maybe I did wash it," he concluded.