Unibet Rose Rockets has confirmed that several Rose bikes were stolen from its team van near Poitiers, France, while the squad was travelling to races in Spain.
The team announced the break-in on Thursday, July 23, saying the theft happened the previous evening. Despite losing several bikes, it has found a solution that will allow its riders to start the Ordiziako Klasika on July 25 and the Vuelta a Castilla y León on July 26.
“Not exactly the kind of start to a race week we were hoping for,” the team said in its account of the theft. “Last night, while on the way to our upcoming races in Spain, our team van was broken into in the Poitiers area of France. A number of our Rose Bikes were stolen.”
Unibets Rose Rockets ride Rose's Shave and Shave FF and FFX race bikes. The FFX currently retails at €8,500 in the Sram Red AXS spec that Rockets race. You can see the full spec in our video below.
The incident left staff with little time to respond before the first of two Spanish race days. Unibet Rose Rockets did not give further details about the bikes taken or the solution it had arranged, but confirmed that its planned starts would go ahead.
“Bike theft is, unfortunately, something that happens far too often in cycling,” the team said. “It sucks, it’s frustrating, and it’s certainly not how we planned to start our race week.”
Staff began working on the problem immediately after discovering the break-in. The team thanked those who worked to keep its racing schedule intact.
Unibet Rose Rockets has also asked fans and retailers to watch for the stolen bikes being offered for sale. Anyone who sees a potentially linked Rose bike has been asked to contact the team directly through social media.
Addressing those responsible, the team said: “We get it, Rose Bikes are pretty nice. But stealing them is definitely not the way to get your hands on one.”
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
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