Team DSM rider files police complaint after being throttled by angry motorist

A Team DSM rider has filed a police complaint against a driver who allegedly cut him off before then getting out of his vehicle and throttling him.

In a video seen by Cycling Weekly, the driver gets out of his car and walks up to the DSM rider, getting in his face and gesticulating, before grabbing the rider by the throat, then pushing him backwards and off his bike.

As the driver walks away, the rider follows him and throws a half-hearted punch, falling to the ground, the motorist then putting him in a brief headlock on the floor before pushing him away once more.

A female passenger then gets out of the car to remonstrate with the rider, before the video cuts out.

The shocking scenes are said to have emerged after the driver became enraged with the DSM rider for reasons that are currently unknown.

Team DSM, formerly Team Sunweb, confirmed that the rider has filed a police complaint against the driver and that there is nothing further to comment on as the incident is now a matter for the police to investigate.

At the end of the first coronavirus lockdown, pro cyclists warned that the better road safety conditions experienced during the height of the pandemic had not changed the behaviour of motorists.

"If we hoped that motorists had changed in terms of [their] respect for us…it is a lost cause," Cofidis' Elia Viviani said. "On the road, everything is as before the lockdown and the danger has not diminished. Nothing has changed."

Road safety concerns have continued into 2021, with Olympic champion Elinor Barker left "relieved" after being hit by a driver on a roundabout and only suffering minor injuries, able to resume training after a few days off as she builds up to this summer's Tokyo Games.

This week, 22-year-old national road race and time trial champion Claire Faber was also taken to hospital with multiple fractures after being hit by a driver.

The Luxembourger suffered a broken jaw, collarbone and several broken ribs, and is now recovering after undergoing emergency surgery.