This weekend, Johnny Bellis will be released from The Wellington Hospital in London and will return home to the Isle of Man with his family. The opportunity to go home is the result of an incredible amount of effort and hard work and opens the next chapter on his road to full recovery. It has been the kind of awe inspiring journey that almost defies belief for most who hear about it, except for those that know Johnny well.

It was the weekend before the World Championships and Team Owner Bjarne Riis and Managing Director Trey Greenwood were on their way to a meeting in Lugano when Bjarne received the phone call. The night before, Johnny Bellis had been in a terrible traffic accident and was not expected to survive. Details were hard to come by but Bjarne was told that there was nothing that the team could do until further notice.
Trey Greenwood described the scenario, “Bjarne just kind of relayed the message to me and we drove in silence to our meeting. We were both completely shocked. It’s hard to describe in words how I felt but I found it almost impossible to concentrate on the meeting. I just had so many thoughts, emotions and questions racing through my mind. I really struggled. I’ll never forget that day. The sun was shining and it was raining at the same time.”

On September 19, 2009, Johnny was in a horrible accident on his scooter, suffering massive head injuries. After multiple surgical procedures to address the complicated injuries, he was placed in a medically induced coma for four weeks while doctors tried to stabilize his condition. During that time, a feeding tube came disconnected, pumping its contents into his body in the area around the stomach causing a condition known as peritonitis. This required more emergency surgery to save his life yet again. By the time he was ready to be moved from Italy to the Princess Grace Hospital in London, Johnny’s weight had dropped from a fit 70 kilos to an emaciated 46 kilos. After laying in a coma for so long and losing so much weight, Johnny’s body had developed a whole new set of problems and complications to be dealt with. His body needed time to heal but Johnny was anxious to get started and could not wait to begin making progress. As is often the case with top level athletes that have suffered such injuries, Johnny’s body began to recover faster than expected and he started to make great progress.

In early December, he was moved to The Wellington Hospital to begin intensive rehabilitation and progress was made almost immediately. Johnny has been so driven and worked so hard that his accomplishments are well known at the Wellington and he has been an inspiration to the staff and other patients there. Katie Davies, Senior Physiotherapist at the Wellington Hospital, adds, “Johnny has been working extremely hard with all disciplines of his rehabilitation program here at the Wellington Hospital. He is approaching all the tasks set before him with determination and motivation. His strength and endurance is improving out of sight on a weekly basis. He has been attending strength sessions in the gym, cooking in the kitchen, clocking miles on the exercise bike and going out in the community. The team treating him could not be happier with his progress at this stage of his recovery.”

Recently, Bjarne Riis and Trey Greenwood visited with Johnny and his father, John in London. It was a trip that Bjarne had wanted to take for a long time. “I went there to see him and talk to him and meet his father, “said Bjarne. “I went to see Johnny on a personal level, as a young man that I care about, not as a cyclist. We all went for a walk and stopped by a café to have a coffee. But you know, once we sat down, we ended up speaking about nutrition, weight gain and training all afternoon anyway. There was just no way around it. Johnny wants to come back and we are motivated to help him. But he has no pressure from our side, only backing and support. Bradley McGee is working with him to get his training started and the team will be there for him with anything he needs. Our sponsors have been great. Science in Sport was providing him with nutrition products before we even knew it and Tacx has already sent him the best turbotrainer they make. Everyone in and around the team are excited to see Johnny back on the road.”

Johnny’s immediate plans are to spend a couple months on the Isle of Man, continuing his recovery and training to build his body back up to strength. Team Saxo Bank partner, Playitas, has invited Johnny and his family to Fuerteventura to stay at Playitas for a week where he can train in their facilities and on the roads and hopefully enjoy some sunshine, while escaping the cold winter weather.

Team Saxo Bank would like to thank everyone, inside and outside of cycling that have supported Johnny and his family throughout this long journey.

Story courtesy of

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