“We narrowly avoided disaster”: Police recover remaining bikes stolen from Cofidis at Tour de France, after team staff found five “dumped in woodland”

Cofidis have been reunited with the bikes which were stolen from the team at the Tour de France, the police having recovered the remaining missing Look models near the Belgian border — that after team staff found five “dumped by the criminals in a wooded area near the hotel”.

The bikes, including a unique red-and-white polka dot-decorated Look 795 Blade RS that was to be ridden by then-King of the Mountains leader Benjamin Thomas, were stolen in Bondues overnight ahead of Sunday’s second stage. A team mechanics’ truck was broken into and 11 Look models, worth in excess of £12,000 each, taken.

According to the team, staff found five of them “dumped by the criminals in a wooded area near the hotel”, before the police recovered the remaining six on Monday afternoon in the village of Halluin, near the Belgian border. The stolen bikes were returned to the team yesterday evening.

“I had the opportunity to speak with Christian Prudhomme and the prefect,” team manager Cédric Vasseur explained. “This is very good news. I would like to warmly congratulate the Tour de France organisation and the law enforcement agencies who did everything possible to find them. Significant investigative work has been carried out and will allow us to continue the Tour de France with peace of mind.”

The team did not mention if anyone had been arrested in relation to the break in.

How Cofidis, Look and Campagnolo scrambled to ensure the show could go on

So, what does a Tour de France team do when you wake up on Sunday morning and discover you’ve been victims of an overnight burglary? “Stunned” by the break in, Cofidis says its mechanics were “mobilised to take inventory of the stolen equipment, and the police immediately called”.

After that, staff went for a quick search of the surrounding area and managed to find five of the stolen bikes “dumped by the criminals in a wooded area near the hotel”.

By some fortune, the team was staying in Bondues, which is where its service course is located, meaning replacement bikes were quickly sought and a full inventory replenished.

At the same time, Look and Campagnolo were told of the crime, the team’s bike supplier “exceptionally” opening its factory on Sunday to paint some more frames in the team’s Tour de France paint job.

After a full Sunday of work, a Look employee then hand-delivered the frames for Monday morning, covering 470km from the company headquarters in Nièvre to the riders’ hotel. Delivery of wheels and groupsets were also arranged from Campagnolo in Italy.

When everything had arrived on Monday morning, the next race against time began, this time for the mechanics, each bike built to each riders’ measurements and spec.

“This precise and meticulous work requires more than 2.5 hours of work per bike,” a Cofidis spokesperson explained. “Thanks to this constant dedication, the riders will be back tomorrow [Tuesday] with their Look bikes in their special Tour de France livery, the same ones they started this Tour de France with. A logistical and technical feat that will allow them to shine on the roads of the world’s most important race.”

Team boss Vasseur added: “We narrowly avoided disaster with this burglary, which I strongly condemn. Beyond the financial loss, it also poses a real challenge for our team in continuing the Tour de France. I thank the police and the Tour de France organisation who did their utmost to recover the bikes.

“With the help of our partners Look and Campagnolo, we will be able to return to normal tomorrow and offer all our riders their original work tools. I also salute the entire team staff who are working tirelessly and redoubling their efforts to allow the team to continue the Tour under normal conditions.”

Raphael Jeune, sponsorship and marketing manager at Look added: “We would like to commend the responsiveness and resilience we have collectively demonstrated, including the Cofidis, Look, and Campagnolo teams. We are very proud of the mobilisation and unity we have shown to face this difficult situation. At Look, we are mobilised every day to enable the Cofidis team to strive for excellence and perform at the highest global level.”

During last year’s Tour, fellow French team TotalEnergies were targeted in a similar raid, 11 Enve bikes and tools taken, including the ride of gravel-stage winner Anthony Turgis.