Spanish cyclist seriously injured in hospital after being shot by a hunter

A 35-year-old cyclist in Spain has been seriously injured after being accidentally shot by a hunter.

The incident took place at 1.30pm on Saturday, January 29 in a forested area near the town of Cabrils in Catalonia, one-and-a-half hours south of the city of Barcelona.

Local police confirmed that the cyclist was riding his bike through the area at the same time an authorised hunt was taking place. 

A bullet from one of the hunters accidentally hit the cyclist who was wounded badly. Police released statement saying that “a hunting accident took place with the result of a person being seriously injured by a firearm”.

The man was flown by helicopter to Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, a reflection of the seriousness of the injuries.

Police later seized the weapon from which the bullet was fired, and the Catalan police, Los Mossos d’Esquadra, have opened an investigation in to the incident.

No further update has since been released.

The incident comes as Matteo Trentin, a professional with UAE-Team Emirates, complained to Cycling Weekly about the safety of cycling outside and how he is reluctant to allow his own children to ride their own bikes on the road.

"It's more of a jungle than a proper training environment. That's what we have to deal with every single day, everybody knows it.

"Every time you step out your door going for training in the morning you never know which side you're going to come back on.

"Whether it's upright, or laid down in some kind of ambulance. We have to take more and more care on the roads."

Catalonia is the second most populous region of Spain and is a popular cycling destination, with the city of Girona long since been a haven for pro cyclists.

The Catalan Pyrenees offer some of the best climbing in Europe, and the Volta a Catalunya that takes place at the end of March always attracts a star-studded field.