Pro Cyclist On A Training Ride Beaten Up By Baseball Bat And Knife-Wielding Maniac

Yoann Offredo is an experienced French cyclist, who has raced in the professional peloton since 2006. He spent a decade with FDJ, where he finished in the top ten of a handful of classics and served as a domestique for the team’s stars. He’s racing for Belgian team Wanty Groupe-Gobert and he wrapped up a very successful classics season, finishing 14th at both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.

This morning, Offredo posted an account of being assaulted while on a training ride, and he included some disturbing photos of the damage. He said that an assailant attacked him with a baseball bat and a “bladed weapon” of some sort. There was a lot of blood. 

Offredo said that he also suffered a broken nose and damage to his ribs. The assault came just days after Italian pro Michele Scarponi was killed during a training ride near his home by an oblivious van driver. Perhaps the saddest part of the post comes towards the end, when a resigned Offredo writes that he won’t encourage his kids to ride their bikes ( translation via Road.cc):

“I’m not angry, I am just sad to realize that this beautiful sport that I love, I don’t want my kids to practice it … it’s too dangerous.

[ Facebook]

h/t Bill