The Tour of Catalonia is challenging and varied. Many cyclists push their limits. One even exceeded this, but received quick help.
Italian top sprinter Sonny Colbrelli suffered a heart attack shortly after crossing the finish line on the first stage of the traditional Tour of Catalonia. After 171.2 km on the circuit by the sea in Sant Feliu de Guixols, the Paris-Roubaix winner from Team Bahrain Victorious finished second, just behind Australian Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), shortly afterwards he collapsed at the finish.
As the Spanish TV broadcaster RTVE reported, a heart massage was performed, after which Colbrelli is said to have regained consciousness. He was then taken to Girona hospital for further tests. In the evening, Bahrain-Victorious said the driver was in “stable condition”. He lost consciousness at the finish, the team wrote on Twitter and thanked the doctors for the quick help.
In the hill sprint, the Italian champion was overtaken by Matthews shortly before the finish line. Third was the Frenchman Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ). Two weeks ago, Colbrelli (31) prematurely ended the long-distance Tirreno-Adriatico trip due to bronchitis.
For Matthews it was the first stage win since August 2020. Anton Palzer (Ramsau/Bora-hansgrohe) was the best German in 75th place. Last year’s winner Adam Yates (Great Britain) is not at the start.
The second part of the 101st edition of the stage race, which ends in Barcelona on Sunday, will take place in Perpignan, France, on Tuesday. A hectic finale is expected, which could be characterized by strong winds.