Tour de France: Cofidis announces that 11 bicycles were stolen

The Cofidis team announced this Sunday, July 6, that it had been the victim of a burglary during the night of the Tour de France, which started on Saturday in Lille , and that 11 bikes had been stolen, resulting in damages totaling more than 100,000 euros.

"The door of the workshop truck was forced open and 11 of our Look Cycle bikes were stolen despite the security measures that had been put in place," the northern group lamented in a statement. "Members of the gendarmerie went to the hotel in the morning to observe the violation and begin their investigation. The Cofidis team strongly condemns this act of incivility and calls on the perpetrators to be civic-minded and responsible," the statement added.

Bicycle thefts are a regular occurrence in cycling races and are a nightmare for teams because they are highly sought-after items, costing up to €20,000 each. The new bicycle used by Cofidis in the Tour de France is priced at €13,999.

Last year, the TotalEnergies team also had 11 bikes stolen from the Tour de France after their truck was opened with a crowbar in front of their hotel in Le Lioran (Cantal).