No injuries were reported in a scary assault caught on video of a car pulling alongside a group of cyclists on training ride in northern Italy and apparently firing two shots.
Riders from a small Italian team said they were shot at by a motorist during a weekend training ride. (Photo: SC Padovani)
Updated December 22, 2025 09:43AM
We’ve heard of teams getting rammed at by angry motorists, but being shot at? This could be a first.
An Italian Continental cycling team claimed over the weekend that its riders were shot at during a routine winter training ride in northern Italy in what team officials described as a shocking act of road rage.
Riders from S.C. Padovani Polo Cherry Bank were training Sunday in northern Italy near Lake Garda when a dark-colored car pulled alongside the group and apparently fired two gunshots before speeding away.
According to TuttoBici, the shots were evidently blanks, and no riders reported injuries.
Footage shared on a Turkish social media account shows the riders recoiling after the shots were fired before the vehicle sped away.
“We are relieved that all the boys are safe and sound after what happened yesterday,” said team president Galdino Peruzzo on the team website. “This is a terrible incident that we hope will never happen again. The road is our boys’ training ground, and as a club, we have taken all necessary measures to ensure they ride safely. Unfortunately, faced with the madness of certain individuals, we really can’t do anything.”
Peruzzo said that Sunday’s shooting was not an isolated incident, and said one of the team’s riders was struck by a hit-and-run driver in September.
Former professional rider Dimitri Konychev, now a sports director with the team, said the team likes to train in the area for its safe roads. Or at least until now.
“The Lake Garda area is one of the most hospitable and suitable for training during this period,” he said. “Every day, we carefully and meticulously plan our training routes to avoid the main roads and peak traffic times. Our athletes wear visible clothing and have lights on their bikes to be noticed by motorists. We followed the riders from the first to the last kilometer, but more respect is needed.”
Officials said they’ve reached out to authorities, but so far, no arrests have been announced.