Dutch sprinter Arvid de Kleijn was attacked during a training session in his home country by a group of teenagers, who first targeted him with insults and then assaulted him, leaving him unconscious on the ground with a fractured nose. The 32-year-old athlete from Tudor Pro Cycling recounted the deplorable incident to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, revealing further details that make the misfortune that occurred a few days ago even more bitter.

The attack on de Kleijn

The incident occurred over a week ago on an unspecified day, but only came to light after the interview published by De Telegraaf with de Kleijn. The Tudor Pro Cycling rider was training near Sint-Oedenrode in the Netherlands when he was targeted by a group of teenagers. According to the account given by the rider himself, the youngsters insulted him, also making references to the illness that recently caused the death of his father. De Kleijn attempted to reason with them in a civil manner, but the verbal abuse quickly escalated to physical violence: the rider was suddenly struck in the face by one of the boys, falling to the ground unconscious with a broken nose. Fortunately, some bystanders intervened and nine teenagers from the group—or rather, the mob—were apprehended, but the person who threw the punch managed to escape.