Martinez suffered a concussion and short-term memory loss as a result of the attack, and the team says that in conjunction with their concussion protocol he will be withheld from competition until such time as he has fully recovered.
The 21-year-old Colombian was out training with riders Julian Cardona and Miguel Eduardo Flores in Italy earlier this week when the incident happened. Martinez told El Tiempo that he had been remonstrating with a driver after he had overtaken the group. The driver got out of the car and punched Martinez in the jaw. Another member of the group was also punched before the driver fled the scene. Martinez was knocked out by the punch.
Martinez joined EF Education First at the start of this season following a two-year spell on the Wilier Triestina team. He had a strong start to the year with second at the Colombian national championships, before taking fifth overall at the inaugural Colombia Oro y Paz. He made his European debut at the GP Industria & Artigianto before going onto the Volta a Catalunya last week where he finished seventh overall.
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