Yesterday Carlos Barbero ended his training ride at the police station after having been assaulted. The Euskadi rider who will ride for Caja Rural in 2015, complained about being given "two or three punches in the face" and asked the police to intervene.

Barbero finished his ride as planned before going to the police station.

"The feeling is one of helplessness. You get scared because you know you are the weakest link on the road and instead of helping and respecting cyclists, some do the exact opposite. The feeling is bad," he says in statement publiched by Diario de Burgos.

"I was in a roundabout when a van passed me. I told him to pay more attention and then two guys came out and attacked me. I got two or three punches in the face and in the end I had to call the police. I have just finished talking to the police and have filed a complaint," he adds.

Barbero (1991) had a remarkable 2014 season with a victory at the Circuito de Getxo and bronze in the Spanish Road Race Championships of Spain. Next year he makes the leap from the continental category to Caja Rural. At Nationals, he was only beaten by the Movistar duo of Ion Izaguirre and Alejandro Valverde. He also won the Volta a Alentejo overall and was third in the Vuelta a La Rioja.