Now that’s a comeback.
Firefighter Matthew Long — who survived a horrific collision with a bus while cycling to work during the 2005 transit strike — has gone from the brink of death to one of the world’s fittest men.
Less than five years after the accident that almost took his life, Long is flexing his biceps alongside the likes of Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer on a list of the world’s 25 fittest men, which was compiled by health mag Men’s Fitness.
It’s a remarkable triumph for anyone — much less a man who suffered injuries so immense that doctors gave him a 1 percent shot of survival.
Even Long — who works out twice a day, six days a week — had a hard time believing he made the cut.
When he was told that he was on the list, an incredulous Long “thought this must be a joke.”
“I e-mailed the guy [from Men’s Fitness], and he said, ‘No, this is serious,’ ” said Long, 43, of Manhattan.
But looking at his grueling workout regimen — not to mention his washboard abs — it’s easy to see why he belongs on the list.
Long, who still suffers chronic pain from his injuries, had to relearn how to walk after the accident. His right leg is now slightly shorter than his left. Nonetheless, the avid athlete completed the New York City Marathon three years after he sustained his injuries — clocking in at seven hours, 21 minutes.
Before the smashup, his time was three hours, 13 minutes.
His idea of a fun day with friends involves a bike ride from Manhattan to Bear Mountain — a jaw-dropping 100-mile round trip.
He also has circled Central Park on his bike 17 times, amounting to a 102-mile jaunt.
But perhaps the most remarkable of all his post-accident athletic feats was finishing the Ironman Triathlon last summer, a daunting competition that involves swimming 2.4 miles, biking for 112 miles and then running a marathon.
Participants must complete the exhausting race within 17 hours. Long’s time was 16 hours, 58 minutes.
“How could we not recognize him?” said Men’s Fitness Editor Roy Johnson.
In addition to Long, plenty of pro athletes fill out the list of fitness buffs, including Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, hockey player Alexander Ovechkin and Heisman winner Mark Ingram.
But the list is also peppered with picks such as 51-year-old NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Broadway actor Sahr Ngaujah, actor Dennis Leary and French chef Laurent Gras.
“They’re not all big, hulking, jacked guys. There’s some guys who are thin, some who are older,” Johnson said.
“We’re trying to show that everyone can be fit.”