Sonny Colbrelli, winner of the 2021 Paris-Roubaix, plans to watch this year's race on television from his home near Brescia, Italy.

For now, Sonny Colbrelli is not thinking about the future or overly sad about missing Paris-Roubaix this year. Events have forced him to take a more philosophical view of life.

On Thursday evening, he posted his first slow sunset bike ride on Instagram and has recently visited Italian national team players training at the velodrome in Montichiari, not far from his home.

He posts many memories of his Paris-Roubaix victories, but he also posts pictures of his young son. He is not out racing or at training camps, but at home with his family, just enjoying being alive and being a father.

"A lot of people ask me how I am and I say: happy, I'm with my son and my family," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport in an exclusive interview.

"I don't have much else to say. I feel lucky.

"Everyone knows that life is temporary. Especially when life is full and busy, like the lifestyle of a professional cyclist, you don't think about it. In fact, when I woke up in the hospital, I had a hard time understanding what had happened. 13]

"At first I was angry and thought, "Why me?" or "What did I do to deserve this?" I asked, but those were unanswerable questions."

"I was so angry that I asked myself, 'Why me?'

Colbrelli recently had a subcutaneous defibrillator inserted under his collarbone to reset his heart should he suffer another sudden cardiac arrest.

Italian sports doctors have refused to issue licenses to athletes with such devices, leading many to speculate that Colbrelli's career may be over. Other athletes, such as Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen, are allowed to play at the professional level in the UK, but the controlled environment and demands of soccer are very different from those of professional cycling.

Colbrelli is sincerely grateful to the race medical staff who saved his life as he crossed the finish line in San Feliu de Gixols, and to the doctors and hospital staff who treated him in Spain and Italy.

"I will always be grateful to my medical team, my family, and the Bahrain Victorias team. They were amazing and always there for me. They are helping me live and see the other side of life better.

"I am at the start of my next journey in life. Of course there will come a time when I will have to evaluate things and make big decisions, but I have time for that."

"I've read a lot about my situation, but who knows what the future holds?"

"Right now, I'm just happy to be here and enjoying every second of my life.

Colbrelli recently published a book he wrote over the winter with renowned author Marco Pastonese. It was completed before he suffered an unstable arrhythmia that led to a sudden cardiac arrest.

"The message of the book is the same as it was before my problems. [There is no point in looking back. The future is synonymous with hope."