Cyclist, 31, hospitalized by cardiac arrest seconds after race finish

Cycling team Bahrain-Victorious have said 31-year-old European champion Sonny Colbrelli is "conscious and feeling okay" after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest meters after the finish of stage one of the Volta a Catalunya event.

Italian Colbrelli narrowly missed out to Team BikeExchange–Jayco rival Michael Matthews following a hill race at the opener, falling to the ground almost immediately after crossing the line.

Medics are said to have put up blankets around Colbrelli to prevent people from taking photos before resuscitating the rider, who was reportedly conscious and speaking on his way to hospital.

Confirming that Colbrelli passsed out, Bahrain-Victorious initially said in a statement: "[He] underwent further medical assistance and he was in stable condition upon being taken into an ambulance to Hospital Universitari de Girona to investigate his condition further.

"Team Bahrain Victorious would like to thank the organizers and the medical teams for their support and assistance."

In an update on Tuesday morning, the team added: "[He] is conscious and feeling okay. He will undergo further tests to discover the cause of the incident.

"He has since been in touch with family and friends as he recovers at the hospital.

"All cardiac tests carried out last night showed no signs of concern or compromised functions."

Matthews shared a photo shortly after the race and told Colbrelli: "Hope you're OK mate, and wishing you a speedy recovery, champ."

Colbrelli swiftly replied: "Thank you so much – and congratulations."

The tenth-placed finisher at the World Championships shared messages of support from fans and rivals on his Instagram page, where he has more than 77,000 followers.

Colbrelli withdrew from the Paris-Nice race earlier this month with suspected bronchitis.

That also led to the former top-five stage finisher at the Tour de France missing the Milan-San Remo event on Saturday.