After up to 18 bikes were stolen from the mechanic’s truck belonging to Visma- Lease a Bike overnight, the team’s CEO, Richard Plugge, has revealed that the Dutch squad will start stage 3 of La Vuelta a España with a full set of equipment.
Visma-Lease a Bike’s mechanics worked all morning to secure and build the equipment needed to start the third stage, even gaining some help from their Lidl-Trek and Movistar counterparts who were staying in the same hotel.
“This morning we woke up and we saw that our truck was broken open and some bikes were stolen,” Plugge told Cyclingnews and other gathered press before the start of the stage in San Maurizio Canavese.
“It was really with severe violence that they opened the truck, because it’s almost impossible to open. So for us it was a big shock this morning when we woke up. It’s very sad news,” he said, adding that there is an ongoing police investigation.
Several bikes were found early this morning among some bushes after being left by the thieves, however most of the bikes appear to still be missing. “I don’t know why they left these bikes, but we had several bikes being found again. So, that’s really good for us. But the reason why they left them behind, I don’t know,” Plugge said.
“The mechanics did an incredibly good job by building the bikes that we need. So, they are coming in a minute and then we have enough bikes to race, fortunately,” he said.
“I have to say that we were in the hotel with Movistar and with Trek, and they were both also very kind to help us out with some work. That’s good to see that the teams are working together in this, and we have enough now to start the day, so that’s not a problem.”
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