Romanian police find bikes stolen from Italian track team
Gold-painted Pinarellos and several other bikes have been found a week after they were stolen.
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Less than a week after news emerged that thieves had stolen bikes – including gold-painted Pinarellos valued at some €30,000 each – from the Italian national track team at Worlds, Romanian police have found at least a number of the stolen bikes.
According to a statement from Romanian police and various media reports, police recovered 21 bikes during a major drug bust operation that involved searches of numerous homes in eastern Romania. The searches also turned up drugs and other stolen goods.
The bikes were stolen last Friday from a team van in a hotel parking area in Lille, France. The Italian track team had reportedly opted for a hotel with a private parking area due to security concerns, but that evidently did not stop thieves from stealing the bikes.
Six days later, police reportedly caught suspects trying to sell the bikes, and multiple people are now in custody.
In total, the stolen bikes were valued at roughly €600,000.