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The 2025 Vuelta a Espana, the final grand tour of the 2025 cycling season, got underway over the weekend. And while powerhouse team Visma Lease-A-Bike already leads the race, things took a strange turn for the worse on Monday.
According to a statement from the team, thieves used a pickaxe to break into one of the team buses and steal several bikes valued at €250,000 ($292,000).
“Last night, our mechanics’ truck was broken into, and several bikes were stolen,” a statement to journalist Daniel Benson read. “Our mechanics are working hard to ensure that the team is fully prepared for the third stage. The police have launched an investigation into the incident.”
Visma Lease-A-Bike Scrambled To Start Vuelta a España Third Stage After Bike Theft
Visma Lease-A-Bike CEO Richard Plugge stated that the team had enough spare bikes and parks that it was able to compete in Monday’s third stage from San Maurizio Canavese to Ceres.
“Most of the riders still have their own bike and a spare bike, but it’s very sad,” Plugge told Dutch news outlet Wielerflits. “Jonas’ bikes are still there, we have the least work to do that. But the rest of the bikes we had to rebuild, or check if everything is in order, because it was a rush to make sure all bikes are ready. Fortunately, everything has succeeded.”
Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard is both the team’s leader for the race as well as the current race leader after winning Sunday’s second stage.
He’s accompanied by American stars Matteo Jorgenseon and Sepp Kuss, the latter of whom won of the Vuelta a España in 2023.
Vuelta a España Bike Thieves Didn’t Think Far Ahead
While the thieves stole a total of 18 bikes, they apparently didn’t think very far ahead. According to Plugge, the team recovered some of the stolen bikes in an area not far from the team bus.
“Some stolen bicycles have been found in the bushes, that’s right,” he said. “That’s good for us, but I don’t know the reason they were left behind.”
Plugge adds that teams need to put more thought into security moving forward.
“As teams, we need to think about how we can better secure ourselves,” he stated. “Because the organization has no security arranged at the hotels, which was the case in the past. We have to look at that for the long term.