They had a hell of a trip. The anti-mafia prosecution in Romania announced on Friday that it had got its hands on 22 bikes that had been stolen last week from Italian riders engaged in the World Track Cycling Championships in Roubaix.
Four people were detained during searches at 14 different sites in south-eastern Romania, as part of an investigation into drug trafficking. They were charged with drug trafficking in Romania, including cocaine, but also with “theft”.
“On October 23, the defendants stole 22 bicycles belonging to the Italian national team, which took part in a competition in France, for damage amounting to 600,000 euros,” Romanian prosecutors said. “We caught them in the middle of the action trying to sell some for small amounts of money, around 1,500 euros each. We recovered the 22 bikes ”.
“Great economic value, but also sentimental”
The bikes, which were in a vehicle, had been stolen from a hotel in Marcq-en-Barœul, near Lille, after having been “left unattended for many hours”, according to a source within the French police.
“These bikes had great economic value, but also sentimental value. These are the same ones with which the Italian champions won the gold medal in Beijing and at the World Championships in France, ”explained Paolo Caestra, a representative of the Italian Embassy in Bucharest.
The riders concerned, including the men’s pursuit team, which had confirmed its Olympic coronation in Roubaix by winning the world title, had finished the competition at the time of the flight.
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