The owner of a major Hampshire bike shop has thanked his staff and the community after the cycle business reopened following an overnight ram-raid which saw an estimated £40,000 worth of bikes stolen.

Pedal Heaven in Fleet was broken into during the early hours of Wednesday morning (1 April), the owner waking up to images of the shop’s smashed front where burglars driving a van had ram-raided their way into the business, causing an estimated £50,000 worth of damage to the building and display bikes, before stealing several high-value bikes, including Pinarello road bikes and electric mountain bikes.

Craig Peter, the founder and director of Pedal Heaven, told road.cc he was informed by the police the van used in the burglary had been impounded, although they are yet to receive the stolen bikes back and there will likely be much insurance stress and work to come regarding the other bikes damaged during the ram-raid, damages he estimates could be as high as £40,000 to stock and £10,000 to the shop.

Despite the damage and devastation caused, Pedal Heaven owner Peter displayed a remarkable sense of perspective during what would, understandably, be a traumatic event for any bike shop to deal with.

“When bad things happen, people are very negative,” he told us. “Honestly, the community has been amazing, my staff are unbelievable. If I had to get my staff to work all night, they would have worked all night, they’re brilliant. I’m very, very blessed, there’s worse things happening. If you let it get you down, you let them win.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pedal Heaven (@pedalheaven)

He explained how the community had rallied around, from a nearby coffee shop opening early to let Pedal Heaven’s staff in and offering them and the police free drinks, to a local pizza shop offering them food, and customers dropping by to express their support.

“The community has been brilliant,” he continued. “It’s amazing. It just shows you there’s a lot of good people out there. This is a bad thing, but you’ve just got to remember this [the criminals doing burglaries] is a small percentage of people. Just remember, the bigger picture is no one’s injured, this is going to cause us a bit of a little bit of blood and sweat, but that’s not a big deal.

“I’ve got really good staff, my attitude is very relaxed about it, I’m very calm, just tell the guys: ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s cool. Obviously we are insured, calling insurance companies can be a little bit stressful, but don’t worry about that now, just get up and running and start operating’.”

Testament to the work of Pedal Heaven’s staff was the fact the business reopened for business on Thursday and is open throughout the bank holiday. The shop is closed today for Easter Sunday but its Monday hours will be 10am – 5pm.

“We truly appreciate everyone’s support — it’s what makes being a small, local business so special. We look forward to welcoming you back in the shop,” Pedal Heaven wrote on social media.

Hampshire Police continues to investigate the burglary and released the following statement: “Officers were called to a report of a break in at Pedal Heaven on Fleet Road at around 1.30am on Wednesday 1 April. It was reported that a van was used to force entry to the shop. Once inside, a number of bikes were stolen and placed into a second van.

“Officers deployed to the area and found a van had been left on a driveway in Hearsey Gardens, Blackwater. Several high-value bikes were located inside the vehicle and have been recovered. Since this was reported to us, officers have been carrying out enquiries and would like to hear from witnesses.

“We appreciate it was in the early hours of the morning, but were you in the Fleet Road area at the time? Did you see or hear anything that may help our investigation? Do you have any dashcam or CCTV footage that could help? Anyone with information is asked to contact 101, quoting 44260152240, or submit information on our website. Alternatively, people can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”