Tour de Pologne: Sonny Colbrelli admits one regret
Sonny Colbrelli’s words.
Ambassador of Valsir, Sonny Colbrelli made some statements to the official channels of the Tour de Pologne. “I participated in the Tour de Pologne on two occasions, in 2012 and 2013,” he said. “The 2013 edition was characterized by bad weather. I was coming from a Giro d’Italia in which I had caught pneumonia. Sport director Reverberi advised me not to risk it to avoid a relapse, so I withdrew. I remember this race for the amount of people on the roads, the joy of the children. There is great passion here for bicycles. I was also very impressed with the advertising balloons scattered along the route. I find it a great idea to convey sponsors by the organizers.”
He then explained his role as Ambassador for Valsir: “With Valsir I have already done the Giro E and other events such as Beking in Monte Carlo. Here in Poland I participated in the Gran Fondo in Karpacz. 82 kilometers of pure passion with people on the roadside cheering us on as we waited for the professionals to arrive. We started in 2300 on a course that was not easy at all.
During the day I am present at the start and then move to the finish at the Valsir truck. The race is great for networking and hospitality. We have about 40 guests a day. There is a good atmosphere and people recognize me, ask me about the Roubaix or my career. I hope to inspire someone, especially younger people. They also ask me questions like “Why aren’t you racing?” or “How is Matej Morich doing?” I really enjoy entertaining guests at Valsir. The company has given me the opportunity to be there. I am proud to be part of this group. They have seen me grow in my profession and I have seen it grow as a company. We have known each other forever.”
“The level is very high and it’s an open race, with a course that I would have loved,” he later confessed. “I don’t deny that sometimes I suffer from seeing runners in the race, especially in races of this type that suit my characteristics. That’s life, though, and I have to think I’m lucky to be here talking about it anymore.”
On the favorite to win the Tour de Pologne: “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I hope Mateij. He deserves it and he is a friend. After the classics, which did not go the way he thought they would, he held on and at the Tour of Slovenia he got unstuck. The Tour victory changed his way of thinking, of seeing the race. At the Tour de Pologne he has already taken a first and a second. The interview after the Tour success excited everyone because Mateij is like that, he is a real man. I often shared a room with him as a rider. I owe him so much, he taught me to stay calm, to wait for my moment.”
“Yes I am happy and I try to find my space. When I watch the races I suffer a little, I won’t deny that. But there is only one life. Life gave me the great opportunity to be here talking about what happened to me, so I have to live every day with serenity and with a smile on my face looking for my dimension, even on this side of cycling,” Colbrelli concluded.
