Million-dollar theft reported during the Tour de France: Cofidis truck broken into and 11 bicycles stolen

The second stage of the Tour de France was a complete mess due to the weather conditions and the unexpected situation experienced by Cofidis ahead of Sunday's race. One of the French team's buses was robbed on Saturday night, with eleven bicycles stolen, a haul valued at over €100,000.

"On the night of Saturday into Sunday, the Cofidis team was the victim of a robbery. The door of the workshop truck was forced open, and eleven of our LOOK Cycle bicycles were stolen despite the security measures in place," the team said in an official statement.

"Members of the gendarmerie went to the hotel this morning to verify the violation and begin an investigation. The Cofidis team strongly condemns this act of incivility and calls on those responsible to be civil and responsible," the French squad added.

The robbery took place in the parking lot of a hotel near Lille , in northern France , where Cofidis, a group of Spaniards Alex Aramburu and Ion Izaguirre , was staying overnight. The French party, which denounced the act and appealed for "civility and responsibility," indicated that the Gendarmerie was alerted early in the morning and an investigation has already been opened.

Each of the stolen bicycles is estimated to be worth 14,000 euros (more than 65 million pesos) , and the total loot is estimated to be 154,000 euros (more than 722 million pesos).

Hours after the theft, Cofidis director Bingen Fernández revealed in a conversation with the media that five of the stolen bicycles were found “dumped in a forest.”

"The second bikes, which are a different color, were stolen. The ones taken were the spares. Initially, five were recovered," said the French team manager.

It is worth noting that last year it was the TotalEnergies team that had eleven bicycles stolen from one of its routes in Lorian, in the center of the country, during the Tour .