CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A man who was riding with his cycling group, was left beaten after two men got out of their car to first verbally, then physically attack him.
Gerado Gomez and his cycling group, Team Life Cyclers, were enjoying an evening ride just like they do every Thursday. Gomez is the leader of the cycling group and said the group's ride took a violent turn for one of their members.
"We had a car on Ennis Joslin that was not happy that we were on the road," he said.
Gomez said the assault happened so quickly that nobody riding with the man was able to get a hold of the vehicles license plate information. A police report was filed, and the assault is currently being looked into.
The cyclist crew rides in separate groups based on their skill and speed levels. Gomez and his advanced group were quite a distance ahead of the beginner group when they encountered the suspect vehicle. They mentioned that the car honked at them but didn't exhibit any aggressive behavior towards them. However, this was not the case for the beginner group when they encountered the same vehicle.
"As we all finished the ride, we received a call that our senior member is being assaulted and attacked," he said.
A statement given to police by Gomez said his group was riding when a silver or grey car approached them. The cyclist stopped, and two men exited the vehicle, and began to assault the man. While the he didn't receive serious injuries, he was still left with bruises, cuts and blood all over his face.
The cyclist group provided video of their ride to 3NEWS, which showed the suspect vehicle passing the advanced group.
"There's a lack of understanding, on the motorist part, that road bikes do belong on the road. With time, some of these motorists are getting a little more aggressive. They're getting closer to us. They're getting just more belligerent on what they're telling us," he said.
Corpus Christi Police Department Lt. Michael Pena said that as long as riders are following road rules, there is nothing wrong with them riding on roadways.
"It is totally acceptable. It's well within the law for cyclists to operate on the roadway," he said.
Police said Gomez treated on scene and is currently recovering from his injuries. If residents have any information about the attack, they are encouraged to call CCPD.
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