The Miracle of Jonny Bellis (Saxo-Bank)

On June 27th many of the world’s top road cyclists will line out in their relevant National Championships, all vying to be the proud owner of their national jersey for the next twelve months. The majority of National Championships are held a week prior to the Tour de France, providing many riders with a late chance to impress for last minute selection in the world’s biggest cycling event.

The British Championships take place in the sleepy town of Nelson in North West England, with an impressive start list of 130 riders from teams including Sky, Garmin-Transitions, Cérvelo Test Team and HTC-Columbia. Scrolling down the list of riders is 21 year old Team Saxo-Bank pro Jonny Bellis from the Isle of Man, a man whose journey to get to the start line in Nelson has been a story of determined ambition, passion and bravery.

Bellis is lucky to be alive today after a life threatening motorcycle accident in Italy that almost claimed his life only last September. He suffered serious head injuries in the crash and was kept in an induced coma for several weeks. The serious injuries he suffered were not the only problems Bellis faced during recovery. At one point, a feeding tube attached to his stomach came loose, leaking its contents through some of his internal organs resulting in another emergency operation to rectify the situation. This setback, coupled with a serious infection, made the steep hill to recovery even more difficult.

Bellis had lost over 3 stones in weight and the chances of a full recovery were slim, let alone getting back on the bike and racing at a high level once again. During his long and turbulent recuperation Bellis told us he never once doubted his return to the sport and that self belief was a major factor in his return, “There was never a point where I thought I’d never ride the bike again. I wouldn’t say my recovery was easier than I had imagined, but in a way it was similar to training on the bike in terms of working hard and setting goals. I went through stages of rapid improvements, that was how I approached the rehab too, and that’s the reason I am improving so quickly at the moment.”

At only 21 years of age, Bellis has a long career ahead of him and can hopefully regain the form that granted him a bronze medal in the 2007 World U23 Road Race Championships along with many more notable performances on both track and road. If he shows one ounce of the courage and resilience he has shown during his magnificent recovery then it should be no problem for the talented manxman to get back to the top of his game.

Having undergone months of intense physiotherapy and a remarkable recovery in order to get back on the bike, we asked Bellis who has been most influential in his return to cycling, “Everyone has been remarkable, my team Saxo Bank have stood by me, my friends, family and my girlfriend have all been a big part of this, I wish to thank them all.”

A graduate of the successful British Cycling academy programme, Bellis doesn’t expect any miracles when he makes his return to racing against many of Britain’s most talented roadmen but sees it as another crucial step up the ladder of his return, “The reason for me riding the championships is mainly to get back into a routine of racing again. I am sure the time for results will come towards the end of the season once I get a few more races under my belt.”

Bellis forms part of a new wave of talented young riders who’ll form part of the peleton over the next few years. Bellis is also the most recent professional rider to support our organisation and outlined his reasons for contributing toward a new era for the sport, “I think Bike Pure is a great organisation, sending out the right message and I also thought I’d like to be part of it, wearing the blue wristband racing around the world.”

During May of this year, Bellis returned to his base in Tuscany, Italy, where he continues to build form with 5 and 6 hour rides in preparation for his long awaited return to the sport. We would like to wish Jonny the very best on what has been an inspirational journey back into the sport. So if you’re lucky enough to be there at his return on June 27th give him your encouragement and well wishes.

Jonny may not come home with a National Champions jersey on June 27th, but if there was a jersey for hard work, resilience and true grit then Jonny deserves to wear that for a long time to come.

Please visit Jonny’s official website here

Video Links
Bellis back on the road

Jonny Bellis training in the gym