A 26-year-old cyclist has been kicked unconscious in what police describe as an "extremely vicious, unprovoked and meaningless attack" in Lancashire.
Mark Horvath was cycling home from work along Westgate in Leyland when he was attacked in the early hours.
Police said a man on a pavement knocked him off his bike by kicking him in the chest and then kicked him in the face and body until he lost consciousness.
The man then stole his mountain bike and rucksack.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack which happened at about 0130 BST.
DC Kelly Rosenthal said: "This is an extremely vicious, unprovoked and meaningless attack which has left the victim with substantial injuries about his body"
The offender is described as white, in his 20s, about 6ft (1.83m) tall with short, cropped fair hair and was wearing dark clothing.
The Raleigh mountain bike which was stolen was black, grey and white. The rucksack was navy blue with yellow lettering.
Detectives would also like to speak to anyone who witnessed a disturbance on Broadfield Drive in Leyland at around 0215 BST when two men were reported to be fighting in the company of two women.
Police said it was unclear whether the two incidents were connected.
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~34~RS~)