French team Cofidis had 11 bikes stolen from their team truck after Saturday's first stage of the Tour de France.
During the night, the door of the team's equipment truck was forced open, and the Look bikes were taken, "despite the security measures put in place", the team wrote in a statement.
Each bike stolen is estimated to be worth around €13,000 (£11,200). All eight of the team's riders were able to start Sunday's second stage from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Sharing news of the incident mid-stage, the team said it "strongly condemns this act of incivility and calls on the perpetrators to act with civility and responsibility".
Police officers visited Cofidis at their hotel on Sunday morning, the team added, and an investigation is now said to be underway.
Fortunately for Cofidis, the team's service course – equipment base – is located in the outskirts of Lille, the city where stage one took place.
All riders at the Tour generally have at least three bikes: their preferred one and two spares. Cofidis's proximity to their headquarters is likely to have allowed the team to pick up spare bikes.
In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly, Federico Musi, the CEO of Cofidis's bike supplier Look, said he had opened the company's factory to prepare replacements.
"The speed and expertise of our teams in Nevers mean that the 2025 Iconic Black Radial bikes will be ready and on the start line as early as tomorrow [Monday] morning," Musi said.
At last year's Tour, another French squad also fell victim to an overnight bike theft. TotalEnergies had 11 Enve bikes stolen from their team hotel in the middle of the race. The team's riders started the following stage on their spare bikes.
Until the theft, Saturday's opening day of the Tour had been a positive one for Cofidis, after breakaway rider Benjamin Thomas earned the polka dot jersey as the King of the Mountains.
The Frenchman was first to the top of two of the day's three climbs, crashing at the summit of the second and taking out another rider, Mattéo Vercher of TotalEnergies, on the cobbles.
"It was totally my fault, so I went to say sorry to him," Thomas explained.
The bike truck burglary took place later that night. Among the bikes stolen was a specially prepared one for Thomas to celebrate his new title as King of the Mountains.
The full statement from Cofidis read: "In the night from Saturday to Sunday, Team Cofidis was victim of a burglary. The door of the equipment truck was forced open and 11 Look Cycle bikes were taken despite the security measures put in place.
"Members of the police came to the hotel in the the morning to document the incident and begin their investigation. Team Cofidis strongly condemns this act of incivility and calls on the perpetrators to act with civility and responsibility."
