Riders of the SC Padovani Polo Cherry Bank UCI Conti team were left reeling after an alarming incident while riding in Val d’Adige, Italy. During a training ride, a dark vehicle pulled alongside the group and fired two shots. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the episode sent shockwaves through athletes, staff, and management. The motives still unknown
The team immediately gathered testimonies and video evidence to submit a formal complaint to authorities.
Thankful no one was hurt
“We are relieved that all the boys are safe and sound after what happened yesterday,” president Galdino Peruzzo said to Gazetta dello Sport. “This is a terrible story that we hope will never be repeated. The road is the gym of our boys, and as a club. We’ve done everything we can to make their rides safe. Unfortunately, in the face of the madness of certain individuals, there’s little we can do.”
Roads are ideal as not much traffic
Directeur sportif and former pro Dimitri Konyshev added that the roads there are usually ideal for winter training. “The Lake Garda area is one of the most nicest and most suitable for training right now. Every day we carefully and carefully trace the training routes to avoid the main roads and the times of the worst traffic. It is no coincidence that we had moved to Val d’Adige, on a smooth and rather wide road that on Saturdays is free from heavy traffic,” he said.
Konyshev was one of the great Russian riders of his generation, winning four Tour de France stages, as well as four in the Giro. This was his first year working for the SC Padovani Polo Cherry Bank team.
After retiring he worked for various teams, including Tinkoff, Katusha and Gazprom.He added that, “Our athletes wear visible clothing and have lights on their bikes to be noticed by motorists. We followed the guys from the first to the last kilometer, every now and then with the team car we give the drivers the opportunity to overtake, but we need more respect.”
A few months ago, the team also lost one of its riders. Kevin Bonaldo was hospitalized after an incident during a race and died a month later.
You can watch the harrowing video below.