March 26, 2011 (Ola Predosa, Italy) – Thieves broke into locked Team Type 1-Sanofi-Aventis vehicles overnight on Friday in a parking lot outside the race hotel, stealing more than 500,000 Euros worth of bicycles, tools, spare parts and equipment, forcing the team to abandon the start at Stage 5 of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in Italy.

Team mechanics came out on Saturday morning and found the front window of a team car smashed and the vehicle pushed back from the back door of the locked panel van used to store equipment. The locks on the side and back doors of the panel van were forced open and all bicycles, tools, wheels, spare parts and equipment was stolen.

The large luggage door underneath the team bus was pried off and removed from the vehicle and all bikes mounted in the storage bin under the bus were stolen.

Police were called and arrived around 8:30 am, and began an investigation.

“This is a sad and terrible situation. We are devastated by the loss of so much equipment and the invaluable sizing and measurement information for our time trial and race bikes. It’s only a matter of time before these bikes resurface for sale somewhere, and we simply ask our friends and supporters to help us find the bikes and help the police catch the thieves,” said Director Sportif Vassili Davidenko.