Bike theft strikes again in pro cycling: TotalEnergies lose twenty bikes

The team announced the news this morning via social media: 

“The team suffered the theft of twenty bicycles last night during the Tour Poitou-Charentes,. Despite the incident, the team will continue competing in today’s time trial.”

Such incidents are becoming increasingly common. Earlier this week, Visma | Lease a Bike had their mechanics’ truck forced open with a pickaxe on the morning of stage 3. Thieves stole a large number of the team’s Cervélo race bikes, worth an estimated €250,000. Some were later recovered after being dumped in bushes, and with the help of spare bikes the team was able to start the stage as planned.

Cervélo’s marketing director Richard Keeskamp reacted furiously to Het Nieuwsblad, pointing to a pattern of organised theft. “This axe has been used before. In a few days those bikes will turn up somewhere deep in the Eastern Bloc, on a local version of Marktplaats. I really can’t shake the impression this was done to order.”

According to Keeskamp, the thieves knew exactly what they were targeting. “It’s the same as with shop burglaries: they go straight for the expensive models and leave the rest.” 

The professional methods make prevention difficult. “Trackers can easily be scanned and removed. Teams sometimes park their trucks with the tailgate against a wall to block access, but if that doesn’t work, it’s a piece of cake for professionals,” Keeskamp explained. His proposed solution is collective action: “Teams staying in the same hotel should consult with each other and hire physical security together. Only then can you truly put a stop to bike theft during the race.”

That call for stronger protection is echoed in the peloton. Lidl-Trek manager Luca Guercilena warned that the problem has now reached the level of organised crime. “I think we’re getting to a point where we’ll need to hire real security guards at night. We are not talking about people snooping around. During winter training camps in Calpe we already hire guards, but during stage races we bring around fifty bikes, including time trial bikes, and not all of that can be stored inside the hotel.”

With TotalEnergies now joining the list of victims, the message for many in the sport is clear: professional cycling has become a prime target, and without collective protection the thefts will continue.