BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Road.cc bike tester and pro cyclist John Whittington has been targetted by organised thieves in a raid on his occupied house.
Between the hours of 9pm and 6am (Wednesday June 6th/7th), thieves broke into Whittington’s residence, bypassing security to walk away with a red/black carbon Merckx EMX3 Athena, a 26-inch, white name tagged Orbea Alma G10, a name tagged Orbea Alma S30, a blue carbon Obrea Onix, lighting and components.
Whittington’s commuter and training bikes were not touched in the break in.
Further details and spec of each bike and the equipment taken can be found on the Road.cc website. Updates to the piece are due shortly, BikeBiz is told.
The road cycling website’s editor Tony Farrelly told BikeBiz: "We’ve never had a test product stolen, ever. John had properly tough security in place and he was in the house too. I’m wondering if these people will trying breaking up the bikes and selling them off in bits – possibly moving them around the country.
"There does seem to be a gang of very determined bike thieves at work in the Bristol area – we’ve run a few stories over the years about pros and semi-pros having their stuff nicked, plus a recent item on a gang following MTBers back from Ashton Court then returning later to steal their bikes."
A van owned by Whittington was also broken into, depsite not being parked outside the residence, indicating that the thieves had been careful planning the break in by tailing the CNP Orbea team rider.
If you’re offered anything matching the description of the bikes and additonal stolen goods, listed below, please contact Avon and Somerset Police on 0845 456 7000 and mention the Redland bike burglarly.
Stolen parts
Cyclops Powertap (in Orbea Onix)
Exposure Lights Joystick Light
Gemini Xera Light
FSA KFORCE Riser Handle Bar
Shimano XTR Pedals
