New blow to the peloton: 20 bikes stolen from the TotalEnergies team during the race

Just a few days after Visma-Lease a Bike had their bikes stolen, thieves strike again at the peloton. Not at La Vuelta but the incident occurred during the Tour du Poitou-Charentes in France.

Another massive bike theft in a race raises alarms in the peloton

A total of 20 bikes from the American brand ENVE were stolen last night from the TotalEnergies team truck that is competing in the Tour de Poitou-Charentes, a race taking place in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

This theft comes just a few days after Visma-Lease a Bike had 18 bikes stolen during their time in Italy for La Vuelta. Considering that the average price of bikes used by professionals exceeds €10,000, it's clear why thieves have found a good source of income in cycling teams.

RECOMENDADO

Is your bike slow, nervous or hard to handle? The wheels might be causing it

The 2026 XCO World Cup calendar enters its final stage: dates, venues, and key details

Why do we use wider tires and lower tire pressure if the tests say otherwise?

3 one-hour workouts to improve speed, strength and endurance

Some workouts for cyclists who don't like series

Can you stay in shape by only going out on weekends?

Additionally, it's adding insult to injury for the French team, who also had their bikes stolen last year during the Tour de France, and this year, Cofidis also suffered a theft during the Tour de France.

Fortunately for TotalEnergies, most of the stolen bikes are road bikes so they shouldn't have a problem competing in today's stage, which is a time trial, although they may need to borrow some bikes.

Furthermore, the team's headquarters are just a couple of hours away by car, so they are likely already preparing new bikes to be able to finish their participation in the Tour de Poitou-Charentes, where their cyclist Jason Tesson is currently in third place overall after winning the first stage.