"Fear, shock and dismay" Violence on the road escalates: Car driver shoots at Italian cycling team

An Italian cycling team was shot at by a driver during a training session near Lake Garda. The incident is part of the debate about the increasing aggression of motorists towards cyclists.

The Italian cycling team S.C. Padovani Polo Cherry Bank experienced a shocking incident when a car driver shot at them during a training camp near Lake Garda. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Footage shared by the team on social media shows a BMW driver pulling up alongside the seven cyclists and firing two shots before driving off. The incident occurred while the team's sports directors, who normally follow in a support vehicle, had stopped to wait for another group. A club statement following the incident spoke of "fear, shock and dismay."

On their return to the hotel, the cyclists reported the incident and collected evidence to hand over to the police. The team president, Galdino Peruzzo, and sports director Dimitri Konychev expressed their concern about the increasing aggression of motorists towards cyclists in Italy.

At the mercy of individuals

Back in September, team member Marco Palomba was injured in a hit-and-run accident. Peruzzo emphasized that the roads are the cyclists' training ground and that the club has taken all necessary measures to ensure their safety. Nevertheless, they are at the mercy of individuals.

Konychev, an experienced professional cyclist, explained that the team carefully plans its training routes to avoid busy roads. The cyclists wear high-visibility clothing and have lights on their bikes to make them more visible to motorists.

Debate about cyclist safety in Italy

The incident took place against the backdrop of a heated debate about cyclist safety in Italy. In August, a serious accident in Puglia in which three cyclists died led to a discussion about the rising number of cycling fatalities. The president of the Italian Cycling Federation blamed the impatience of motorists for the rising accident rate.

The death of young cyclist Sara Piffer in January, who was hit by an overtaking motorist, also caused outrage and calls for greater road safety. Her father described the Italian roads as the "Wild West" and called for more common sense on the roads.