It sounds like the plot of a shabby crime novel early in the evening. But what happens to British professional cyclist Alexander Richardson (31 years old) is the unpleasant truth.
The Alpecin rider had just finished his training trip at Richmond Park in south London on Thursday when he noticed four men on motorbikes. “Four men on two bikes wearing ski masks,” fellow Swiss Sylvain Dillier wrote on Instagram. The object of their wish: his noble career bike. “I quickly realized they were following my bike.”
At first they shocked him, then someone pulled out a machete
Richardson tries to escape. “I turned around and did a full throttle toward Park Cafe.” This is half a kilometer and it would have been salvation. “But one of the motorcyclists hit me at 60 kilometers per hour,” says the 31-year-old. He fell off his bike but grabbed it. “The second motorcycle dragged me and my bike for 100 metres, and then someone pulled a 40-centimeter machete.” Only then did he leave his bike. Thieves run away.
And what about Richardson? His wife must have picked him up and he’s pretty worn out. “I bruised my skin so badly my thighs were swollen,” he explains, showing a photo of his bruised body. File a complaint. “The police recorded the incident as an armed attack. I hope they find these criminals.”
Richardson joked: At least the training is over
The Briton, who has so far mainly run smaller races of his career and completed the Tour of Germany and the Tour of Britain this summer, has not lost his sense of humor. Which is why there’s still something positive about the whole thing: “After all, I’ve already completed almost my entire training journey beforehand.” (for example)
“Creator. Troublemaker. Reader. Tv nerd. Proud beer advocate. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Introvert. Certified zombie practitioner. Thinker.”
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