Italian rider Sonny Colbrelli, who required emergency treatment after collapsing at the Volta a Catalunya race in March and was fitted with a subcutaneous defibrillator implant (ICD), said on Sunday he will retire from professional cycling.
Colbrelli was edged out by Australian Michael Matthews at the end of the opening stage of the race in Spain and fell to the ground. He needed defibrillation and was later diagnosed with an "unstable cardiac arrhythmia".
"Following the medical advice from his examinations, Sonny Colbrelli will retire from professional cycling after having a defibrillator fitted as a result of his collapse," Bahrain Victorious said in aOther elite sportsmen have returned to action after having an ICD implanted, most notably Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen, but Colbrelli said cycling was unlike soccer and the risks were much greater for him.