'Certainly an organised gang' - Cofidis boss speaks out following mass theft of team's bikes at the Tour de France
Journalists staying in the same🐭 hotel as the French team were als🍨o targeted by thieves

Up to €143,000 worth of 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Look team bikes were stolen from the Cofidis team workshop truck in the early hours of Sunday morning before stage 2 of the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France.
The theft of the 11 custom-painted Tour-edition Look 795 Blade RS bikes, which are valued at around €10,000-13,000 according to the team, left the French squad racing on spare bikes for stage 2, which was 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:won by Mathieu van der Poel
The Look bikes, aside from the custom paint job which was created specifically for the Tour de France, are the only machines at the race equipped with Campagnolo Bora Ultra wheels and the latest 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Super Record WR 13 electronic, wireless 🔴groupset from the Italian manufacturer.
Look CEO Federico Musi explained in a statement yesterday that the company had opened their factory to allow replacements of the bikes to be🍬 prepared. Ensuring the team's riders would be back racing on custom-painted machines as soon as possible.
It seems the problem created by the theft has been solved quickly, thanks 🍬to the unusual situation of having the team service course, its sponsor's bike factory, and the race itself all based in France.
In news first shared by, Cédric Vasseur, the team's general manager, also spoke about the theft and his belief that an organised gang must♏ be responsible. No trace was left of the burglary, which also targeted journalists in the same hotel, and the team has filed a complaint with the police.
"When we woke up, ꦐunfortunately, we realised that the workshop truck had been broken into this morning. When we took inventory, we realised that 11 bikes had been stolen during the night. Probably after 4:30 a.m. However, there was a security guard who was apparently ensuring security in this parking lot.
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"♌Unfortunately,🍨 we have no traces at the moment. Journalists in the same hotel were also victims of burglaries, so it was certainly an organised gang that had been operating for several days. Luckily for us, we only have 11 bikes in our truck, because we have one racing bike and two spares."
The team's service course, basꦫed in nearby Bondues on the outskirts of Lille, is a stro𝕴ke of luck for the French team, allowing mechanics and staff to turn around fresh machines quickly and continue the world's biggest race on the right bikes.
"We are also close to the race service, so we went there to get spare bikes to allow the riders to compete i💜n the stage this Sunday and to ben෴efit from a spare bike just in case.
"We're going to have to reassemble new bikes in the next few days, because they꧑ were special Tour de France series. Our𒅌 mechanics will be busy starting Monday morning to reassemble 4 or 5 new bikes. And then we're going to be extra vigilant, and I also advise all the teams to do the same thing."
Vasseur also gave insight as to the value of what the thieves took, which works out at between €110,000 and €143,000, not including what was🍌 taken 🌼from journalists.
"The o♓verall damage? Well, each bike is between €10,000 and €13,000, multiplied by 11... that's a lot of money.
"We filed a complaint at the police station this morning, an investigation is underway, and the police are obviously doing their utmost to hopefully recover t𒐪he🐎 equipment."
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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as🍒 happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
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