McEwen attacked on Gold Coast

By Anthony Tan

After dinner and drinks with a few friends on Friday night on the Gold Coast, Robbie McEwen was attacked and was forced to flee after being hit in the head.

On his way to a taxi rank after enjoying an evening at the Indy Grand Prix, the Australian road champion found himself confronted by three men. One punched him in the head, leaving McEwen with a black eye, bruised cheek and swollen lip.

"Three guys coming from the other direction, nothing going on, and they just about got level with me when one king hit me," he told Cycling Australia's Gennie Sheer on Monday morning. "Don’t know if it was an attempted mugging or thrill attack for the hell of it but definitely a cowardly attack. I didn’t hang around to find out."

Joked McEwen, who happens to be a resident of the area when in Australia, "I managed to stay on my feet, spun around and won by 50 metres. There might be a career for me in athletics if cycling fails."

According to Ms Sheer, the injuries are by no means extensive enough to affect McEwen's training or racing program. McEwen had been back in Australia for ten days at the time of the attack and doesn't plan to resume training until November.