Published on : 07/15/2022
In consultation with the medical staff of the Cofidis team, the 23-year-old rider will undergo surgery at the CHU in Nantes on Wednesday 3 August. The medical team will remove the atria (the upper chambers of the heart that receive blood) following the appearance of heart rhythm problems. Alexis is expected to return to competition at the beginning of next season.
It was an unfortunate setback for Alexis Renard, who had to end his season prematurely after suffering from a heart rhythm disorder. During exercise, I have a heart rate that increases like everyone else," he explains. But when I stop cycling, the intensity is always the same. In-depth examinations, supervised by the Cofidis team's medical staff and carried out by the CHU in Nantes, showed that the atria had to be removed. These are the two upper chambers of the heart that receive blood and send it back to the ventricles.
"The support of the team is precious".
"This feeling of arrhythmia is not compatible with the practice of high level sport. I don't want to take the place of a teammate if I'm not operational. This is why the rider and the Cofidis team decided to bring forward the operation, initially planned for October, to Wednesday 3rd August. After the operation, Alexis will have to follow an anticoagulant treatment for 3 months. This operation puts a premature end to his season, after three top 10 finishes this season (on stages of the Saudi Tour, the Circuit de la Sarthe and the 4 Jours de Dunkerque).
Of course, it is not an easy phase to go through mentally, especially as I won't be able to race until February next year," says the rider. But I feel that the team is with me and this support is particularly precious for me".