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news
Andrea Vendrame (picture credit AG2R-La Mondiale)Italian pro cyclist punched in face by driver during training ride
Italian pro cyclist Andrea Vendrame has spoken of how he was punched in the face by a motorist while on a training ride near Treviso.
The incident happened last Monday, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport, with the driver who assaulted the AG2R-La Mondiale rider initially fleeing the scene.
Vendrame had the presence of mind to take a photo with his mobile phone of the car’s licence plate, and a witness to the incident also reported it to carabinieri in Treviso, resulting in the motorist turning himself in.
Vendrame is being represented by Milan-based Federico Balconi of non-profit organisation Zerosbatti, which provides insurance and legal services to cyclists, and will file a complaint for assault and battery and for injuries sustained.
Speaking of the assault, the 26-year-old told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I was pedalling on the right, inside the white line, when a high-powered car brushed past me and then braked to a sudden halt a few hundred metres in front of me.
“As I approached, I saw that the person was coming towards me: I swerved to the left, towards the centre of the road, to avoid him, and when I passed, he punched me on the right cheek, the one that had been severely injured in the 2016.
“The car started up again making a U-turn and I photographed the licence plate with my mobile phone.”
He continued: “I think of the young people who would like to be a rider like me. It isn’t possible for a junior to stop riding because he is afraid of training on the road.
“I ride a bike every day, I can’t think about fear while pedalling. Last year, another professional from my area [NTT Pro Cycling’s Samuele] Battistella, was insulted by a motorist.
“It hurts me that there is no respect for those who ride a bike, whether a professional or amateur.”
Vendrame has campaigned for cycle safety following an incident four years ago when he was seriously injured on a training ride when a motorist crashed into him.
“In 2016, while I was training in the Colle Umberto area, a car cut across me and I ended up with my head in the windscreen,” he said.
“I underwent numerous operations on my face at the hospital in Treviso hospital, and I always have a long beard to hide the scars.
“I had invasive operations for facial reconstruction, and still have small fragments of glass in my face.
“I immediately made myself available immediately to become a spokesperson for those who suffer accidents and find themselves in this kind of situation,” he added. “We have to make our voice heard.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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12 comments
doesn't pass the smell test, why would anyone just randomly stop and punch a cyclist? what happened before?
Socrati? Is that you??
I suspect as the car "brushed" against him he might have made a few choice italian sayings or made a couple of hand gestures. Understandable if he had had an awful experience in similar cirumcstances a few years beforehand. Obviously said driver didn't react to well to someone not liking being almost assaulted so decided to do just that.
Why would it have to be random for you to object?
In 20 plus years of road riding I would reckon I've had maybe more than a few instances (ie more than three) where without any provocation whatsoever, sometimes without me even having seen the car in question beforehand, I've had a motorist come after in a similar way. Quite a few more if you count a hand gesture in response to nearly dieing under the wheels of a car as provocation. It does happen.
In Australia your being there on the road at all creates such intense anger in some people (I think it's a belief that you have no moral right to be there as you have not paid rego) that they feel they must act out in some way and generally in those people that is at a minimum verbal abuse but for some it's throwing things at you, using the their car to menace or worse.
If you are in the wrong place at wrong time on your bike you are at the mercy of these bullies and they know that the vast majority of the time they will get away with whatever they do as without clear evidence- for example video- they won't be prosecuted.
Spot on in every sense. Here's a recent example:
https://youtu.be/eCCXdmRcS10
So they realised their car was stolen only when the Police contacted them about the incident. That was lucky as imaghine how long it would have been before they noticed otherwise.
Yes a remarkable coincidence 🤷🏻♂️
But as I noted at the end of the video, that incident occurred the same day as a young woman was deliberately hit by a car driver and seriously injured. Didn't know each other, or have any prior encounter. Toxicology showed methamphetamine and cannabis use. https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7047989/nursing-student-ran-ove...
theres always the trolls who will say the person on the bicycle must have done something to provoke it, but we all know just riding a bike is enough. And the consequences are horrific.
Why would anything need to happen beforehand, just riding a bicycle is enough to trigger some mentally deficient people. Are you one of them?
I can't help thinking that the UK police might not be so supportive on that level of evidence....
What a nasty bully on the road - not only dangerous driver but unleashing violence on someone who'd done him no wrong.
I hope he gets what he deserves ;-(
Castration?