The rash of bicycle thefts targeting professional teams has struck again. Just days after Visma \u2013 Lease a Bike was robbed at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, French squad TotalEnergies reported the loss of 20 Enve bikes Wednesday night at the Tour Poitou-Charentes.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeam TotalEnergies was confronted with the theft of twenty bikes during the Tour Poitou-Charentes last night,\u201d the team posted on X. \u201cDespite this incident, the team will still race the time trial.\u201d<\/p>\n
A disturbing trend<\/p>\n
It marks the latest in a growing series of thefts affecting pro outfits. Earlier this week, Visma \u2013 Lease a Bike saw several machines stolen in Spain, although some were later recovered. At the Tour de France, Cofidis also had bikes stolen \u2014 and like the Dutch team, some were found in bushes.<\/p>\n
TotalEnergies confirmed that despite losing nearly its full fleet of race bikes, the riders would line up for the stage against the clock.<\/p>\n
Teams usually have a very secure service course to house their expensive bikes and gear, but some have been critical of the security at race hotels.<\/p>\n
Le Team TotalEnergies a \u00e9t\u00e9 victime cette nuit du vol de 20 v\u00e9los en marge du Tour Poitou-Charentes. Malgr\u00e9 cet incident, l\u2019\u00e9quipe prendra bien le d\u00e9part du contre-la-montre aujourd\u2019hui.#TPC2025<\/a> | #AllezTotalEnergies<\/a> \u26a1\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/fNMMe9xTRb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Team TotalEnergies (@TeamTotalEnrg) August 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n For Visma, it was definitely not the sort of stress the team leading the Vuelta needed. \u201cVisma\u2019s mechanics moved quickly to prepare the team\u2019s rides. They did an incredible job rebuilding all the bikes and making sure we had everything we needed. The bikes will be ready soon,\u201d team boss Richard Plugge said around 90 minutes before the start<\/a>. \u201cMost riders still have their own bikes plus a spare, so thankfully we\u2019re able to start.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dutchman said more needs to be done to protect valuable assets. WorldTour bikes can be worth $15,000 and up.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time a cycling team has been targeted during a race. We need to consider how we can better protect ourselves, because in this case the organization didn\u2019t provide hotel security as they have in the past,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The French stage race is four days long, with the Stage 3 TT taking place on Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n