{"id":451585,"date":"2026-02-03T17:25:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/451585\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T17:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:25:09","slug":"nicolas-roche-violently-mugged-in-barcelona-bystanders-did-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/451585\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicolas Roche violently mugged in Barcelona: Bystanders did nothing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yikes! Former pro cyclist Nicolas Roche<\/a> said he was violently assaulted during an attempted street robbery in Barcelona. It\u2019s an incident he described as the \u201cbiggest fright\u201d he has ever experienced.<\/p>\n

The 41-year-old, son of Triple Crown winner Stephen Roche, was targeted by three men as he stepped out of a restaurant in the city centre. The attackers reportedly tried to steal his watch, leaving Roche with facial cuts and bruising.<\/p>\n

The incident<\/p>\n

Roche shared details of the attack on Instagram<\/a>, posting an image of his damaged watch and a firsthand account of the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust been attacked and beaten up by three men as I walked out of a restaurant in central Barcelona trying to rob my watch,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n

Stephen Roche discusses Tadej Poga\u010dar\u2019s chances of winning the Giro, Tour and worlds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Mugging, apparently, has become a big problem in the Spanish city<\/a>. Many travel bloggers warn visitors about it, and how to avoid it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to my girlfriend Marta and the two security agents from the shop further down the street I managed to not only save my watch but mostly stopped the attackers from beating me more,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Planned attack?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy to think that someone in the restaurant must have warned the gang to wait outside for me. I had read about all of this in the news but it\u2019s something else to experience. Biggest fright of my life.<\/p>\n

Roche said that he was shocked because for over five minutes people stood there watching as he was on the ground as his girlfriend was shouting for help. Eventually the two security guards came out to scare the thieves away, he said.<\/p>\n

In a follow-up post to his Instagram followers, Roche showed the injuries weren\u2019t too bad..and he knew they could have been far worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully \u2018only\u2019 a few cuts on my face and a bruise on my elbow,\u201d he said. \u201cMarta got hit behind the head trying to protect my head on the ground. Still finding it hard to believe what happened. Be careful everyone going out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roche raced for 17 years, on teams including Cofidis, Sky and Cr\u00e9dit Agricole. Although his palmar\u00e8s wasn\u2019t quite as deep as his father\u2019s, he still had some big results, including two stages of the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, podiums in Tour stages, multiple national championships and four trips to the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably also heard him commentate, giving expert analysis on FloBikes.com. Furthermore, he\u2019s been involved in the managerial side of Trinity Racing\u2013the new home for Rafaelle Carrier<\/a>. And, just like his father\u2013he\u2019s a world champion, albeit in his age category in gravel. Roche continues to compete in gravel since retiring.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n