Sonny Colbrelli has been assured a technical and ambassadorial role with the Bahrain Victorias team as he begins life as a former rider after suffering an unstable and irregular pulse in the spring.

Colbrelli, the 2021 Paris-Roubaix winner and former European champion, announced his retirement two weeks ago and will speak in detail Tuesday afternoon at a special event organized by component brand FSA.

Colbrelli was fitted with a subcutaneous defibrillator after suddenly suffering an unstable arrhythmia at the Volta a Catalunya in March. The device stabilizes his heartbeat in the event of another arrhythmia, but means he can no longer race.

He joined Burleen Victorious when the team was created in 2017 and will continue his role, although he will no longer be able to race.

"He will be with us until at least 2024. We are confident he can make a big contribution," team manager Milan Erzan told La Gazzetta dello Sport (open in new tab).

"We had hoped he would return to racing, but his health comes first and he made the right decision The Bahrain team was created in 2017 and Sonny has been with us from the beginning. After Vincenzo Nibali, he was the second player we really wanted on the team.

"Sonny will be an ambassador and will promote the team and our various sponsors. He will share his experience, especially for the Classic, we have a training camp in Spain in December and he will be able to join us there, as well as scouting in Northern Europe.

Colbrelli can ride a bicycle, but Italian law does not allow riders with subcutaneous defibrillators to compete due to the risk of further arrhythmias. He considered removing the defibrillator, but the risks were too high and he did not want to remove it for personal reasons and for his family.

"It's hard to say goodbye to cycling and say goodbye after a season like last year, but I try to say goodbye with a smile for all the good it has given me. It was the best season of my career. I learned what life gives and what it takes away. But it also gives back in a different way," Colbrelli said when he announced his retirement.

"I'm ready to keep trying to be a champion, just like on the bike. I will remain in cycling with Bahrain Victorious, who has been close to me like a second family, and we will walk together through the transition from rider to a new role that is evolving every day. I will be an ambassador for my partner, working closely with the performance group and sharing my experience with my teammates.

"Over the past few months, I have been very pleased to see my children accept me as a role model. Perhaps, I tell myself, it's because the muddy man looks a bit like a superhero. I want to do something for them sooner rather than later. In the meantime, there is an opportunity to be a reference for Team Bahrain Victorious and the development team: the Cycling Team Friuli and Cannibal U19.

After his retirement, Colbrelli posted a photo on Instagram of a new tattoo designed to commemorate his career. It showed Colbrelli walking through the Arenberg forest hand in hand with his children.

"This tattoo... . everything in my life is designed.

"First the bike, the passion I had to give up, then the Arenberg Forest, the most famous and difficult cobbled section of Paris-Roubaix, my greatest victory, and Vittoria with Tommaso on his shoulders, my strength, my life.