Rimini, 12 November 2021 – It had to be one quiet mountain bike ride. Three friends pedaling in the open. The Marecchia river on background. “We were almost level with the baseball stadium, when all of a sudden I have heard a bang and then something hissing over our heads. Instinctively I lowered myself, flattening myself on the handlebars. I started screaming. The shots landed against the metal bulkhead that flanks the path. Only then did I realize that they shot at us“. Bad misadventure for Laura Baldacci and friends Elena and Morena, three passionate bikers enrolled in the Matteoni cycling group.
Wednesday morning the trio were found on the cycle path on the right side of the Marecchia, when a soccer player – perhaps in search of pheasants – started a fan, which did not reach them by pure miracle. The pellets broke against the fence that runs along the track. It took the three friends a few minutes to recover from the shock. With their hearts in their throats, they have called the carabinieri, who rushed to the place to carry out an inspection and collect their complaint. No trace of the hunter, even if the shots from the shotgun were found around there.
“It was a traumatizing experience – says Laura, who also shared the story on the pages of social networks -. Fortunately, when I heard the explosion of the weapon, I instinctively lowered myself. The shots have passed very close to the ear, missing me by a hair. One more second, and I would have come to a bad end. It was worse for my friend Elena, who was caught in the leg instead from the pellets, which tore his suit for mountain biking. She wasn’t hurt, thank goodness, but the fear was really great. Once we figured out what had happened, we looked around, but we didn’t see the hunter anywhere. At that point, on the other hand, the trees are very dense. We called the carabinieri, who were very kind and reassured us “.
Experience has proved quite a bit the three cyclists, who, however, have no intention of giving up their outings riding two wheels. “We would like to take this opportunity to send a message. Unfortunately this is not the first time we have heard of shotgun cycling enthusiasts accidentally from some shotgun. A few months ago it happened to a young man from Verucchio, who even found a ball stuck in his helmet. For us it is inconceivable that near a cycle ring, a place also frequented by families with children, hunters circulate freely with theirs firearms as well as dogs without a leash and muzzle. It is a problem that concerns everyone’s safety “.
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