Working on a race in Portugal with one of the pro teams, Sean McNicholl sustained a nasty injury when he fell victim to a mindless attack.
Having proven a hit working for a number of pro teams in management roles and as mechanic in recent years, Sean McNicholl had a day to forget in Portugal yesterday.
McNicholl is currently at the Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta-Liberty Seguros pro stage race as mechanic for Christina Jewelry.
And while testing rider Stefan Schumacher’s bike outside the team hotel in Mirandela after stage 3, a rock was thrown at him from a building above which hit him on the head.
McNicholl told stickybottle he heard a shout just before he was hit, with a significant wound resulting in his face being covered in blood.
Advertisement
On the road with one of the Christina Jewelry trucks in Portugal in recent days.
A trip to the hospital saw him stitched up and he was due to be back working with the team on the race this morning.
He said he couldn’t be sure where the attacker had hurled the rock from, save to say it was from a height in one of the buildings overlooking where he was giving the bikes the once over.
“There was a shout then the cracking,” he said of the rock hitting him hard.
“I didn't fall off the bike though; I didn't want to damage it,” he joked.
Related News
And after he had been treated at hospital, the team prepared a bag of gifts to send to the staff that looked after him; McNicholl saying the very unpleasant incident was in no way reflective of the welcome the team has received from the locals.
Some of the riders and kit of Christina Jewelry; a Continental level team based in Germany.
“I’ve been treated so well by everyone since I got here,” he said.
“Two days ago I spent all evening in Braga hospital with a crashed rider. Today was just my turn; that’s the only way to look at it.”
McNicholl has worked on the Rás in recent years with the Tirol Cycling Team from Austria whose riders have won the final yellow jersey for the last three years; this year and in 2014 with Clemens Fankhauser and last year with Lukas Pöstlberger.
He has also been working with both Christina Jewelry from Germany and UK team Planet X on pro races abroad.
Some of the events he’s worked on include the Tour of Iran and Tour of Morocco - where the conditions were nothing short of epic.
And after his current assignment in Portugal he will be directeur sportif for Christina Jewelry at the Tour of China 1 and 2 in September and for Planet X at the Tour of Guyana in October.
McNicholl has worked on the last three editions of the Rás with Tirol Cycling Team; the Austrians having won each time.
Topics
