Specialized SD Worx bikes stolen in 'brutal burglary'

A number of Specialized bikes belonging to SD Worx have been stolen, the Dutch team has announced. 

In an appeal posted on Twitter, the team wrote: “Team SD Worx is the victim of a brutal burglary. 

“Please be on the lookout for our TT-bikes, road-bikes and Roubaix-bikes, which has been stolen.”

It is unknown at this moment what the value of the stolen bikes is or where they were taken from. 

When approached for further details, a spokesperson from SD Worx said a police investigation has been opened and the team will not provide any information while it is ongoing.

“Due to the police investigation, we can currently not provide any further details,” the SD Worx spokesperson told Cycling Weekly. “The police did ask us to release photos of the stolen bikes. Once someone sees them being offered, the alarm could then be raised. In the past, they have already been able to solve bicycle thefts that way.” 

The team released four images of bikes, but did not clarify how many have been stolen. 

This is not the first time professional athletes have had their bikes taken. At last year’s Track World Championships, the Italian team pursuit squad had their golden bikes, worth €30,000 each, stolen from their hotel car park in Lille. 

The golden Pinarellos were part of a 22-bike haul that was recovered in Romania days later. 20 people were arrested as part of a police operation that included drugs raids on properties in the east of the country. 

On Tuesday, Team SD Worx flew to San Francisco, California for an off-season training camp. 

The team finished top of the UCI rankings in 2022, thanks to Lotte Kopecky’s victories at Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders, as well as Demi Vollering’s impressive second place at the Tour de France Femmes.  

Both Kopecky and Vollering also finished in the top five-ranked riders in the world, behind Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo). Wiebes will join the Dutch squad in 2023, having signed a three-year contract in August.