Bevin ruled out of Tour Down Under with cardiac arrhythmia
Bevin expected to fully recover from treatment after an irregular heartbeat in training indicated underlying issue.
Patrick Bevin will sit out Santos Tour Down Under after undergoing treatment for an episode of cardiac arrhythmia.
The 28-year-old had been scheduled to lead CCC Team at the Australian race, January 21, however, has returned home to New Zealand to allow a full recovery from treatment.
“Patrick Bevin was admitted to the Calvary Wakefield Hospital in Adelaide after noticing some irregularities in his heartbeat during training,” said CCC-Team Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Testa. “Patrick does not have a history of heart problems however, an electrocardiogram detected an episode of supraventricular arrhythmia. Fortunately, this is a non-life threatening condition and is quite common, but it did require immediate treatment to regulate the heart rhythm.”
Though the team is confident Bevin will make a full recovery, with less than a week until the start of the 7-day race, he has been pulled from the team as a precaution.
Bevin won a stage and ran close in the GC battle in the 2019 Tour Down Under, a performance that put him on the media’s map and earned him a spot as team leader for 2020.
“It’s disappointing to miss the race after preparing all off-season for it, and especially after coming so close to the win last year,” he said.
“I feel completely fine now and it’s now just a matter of rest and recovery to ensure it doesn’t happen again. With the solid block of off season training in my legs, I’m confident I can still have a strong start to the season one month later than planned.”
Bevin is replaced in CCC-Team line up for the Tour Down Under by Guillaume Van Keirsbulck.