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Murder probe launched in France after bikepacking cyclist killed in savage attack

Victim is believed to have been riding from the Netherlands to Spain

Police in France have opened a murder investigation after a Spanish cyclist on a bikepacking trip was killed following a savage attack in the Ardèche on a long-distance cycle route, the Via Rhona, which runs from Switzerland to Spain.

The victim, a 28-year-old man from the Canary Islands believed to be named Roberto, was discovered with serious wounds to his head and arms by a man walking his dog on a path in Soyons near the River Rhône last Thursday.

He was taken to hospital in Valence, but died there from his injuries later that day.

The man who discovered him told the newspaper Dauphiné Libéré: “First I found a bicycle pump. When I picked it up, I saw that it was covered in blood. A few metres further on, I saw a large pool of blood on the stones. I told myself that a cyclist must have had a severe fall.”

He said that when he found the stricken rider, “I thought he was dead. I touched his shoulder and he started to move. He was moaning.

“I saw his look, pleading me for help. His face was completely deformed. I called for help and waited for it to arrive so I could guide them to him.

“It was extremely violent,” he added. “This lad was the victim of a terribly ferocious attack.”

State prosecutor for the Ardèche, Cécile Déprade, has confirmed that the case is being treated as homicide.

A post mortem examination revealed that the cyclist, who is believed to have begun his long-distance ride in the Netherlands, had around 30 wounds to the head and that part of his skull had been caved in.

He also had a number of wounds to his arms, two of them deep, with prosecutors hypothesising that the murder weapon may have been a knife, consistent with “the use of a blunt object with a sharp edge.”

The victim’s tent and luggage were found hidden nearby, as was his bike, but while the Mayor of Soyons has suggested that robbery may have been the motive, local Gendarmerie have not yet confirmed that they are pursuing that line of investigation.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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4 comments

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Xenophon2 | 2 years ago
3 likes

Terrible news, condolence to his family and loved ones.  I hope they manage to catch the person who did this.  

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Eton Rifle | 2 years ago
5 likes

Tragic news. I've always felt far safer cycling in France than anywhere in the UK.

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Captain Badger | 2 years ago
6 likes

Deepest condolences to Roberto's family and friends. I hope the police trace this individual 

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grOg replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
0 likes

just one person? could have been multiple attackers..

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