Stolen bikes stop teams finishing races in Slovenia, Belgium

Stolen bikes prevented the Euskaltel-Euskadi and Baloise Trek Lions teams completing the final stages of the Tour of Slovenia and the Tour of Belgium respectively, the teams said on Sunday.

"Euskaltel-Euskadi suffered the robbery of a vehicle with all its bicycles in it at the Tour of Slovenia so we can't start the fifth and final stage," the Spanish team wrote on Twitter.

The Belgian Baloise Trek Lions team suffered the same fate on the Tour of Belgium.

"Last night we fell victim to a theft of bicycles and wheels," the team said in a statement on Instagram.

"Unfortunately, it is therefore not possible for us to start today in the last stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour. We await the police investigation."

None of the teams' riders were in a position to win the general classification of either race.

Bicycle theft is a common problem for cycling teams.

Women's Dutch team SD Worx had several of their bikes stolen in November last year, while earlier in 2022 Israel Cycling Academy were robbed of bikes at a training camp in Spain.

In 2021 Romanian police recovered bikes and equipment worth an estimated 500,000 pounds ($640,850.00) stolen from Italy's track squad ahead of the Track World Championships.

Two teenagers were sentenced to 18 months in prison for their role in the theft.

($1 = 0.7802 pounds)