(Reuters) -Team Cofidis had 11 bikes stolen from their truck overnight before the start of the second stage of the Tour de France, the team said on Sunday.
The team, based near Lille, were able to find enough bikes to start stage two, a 209.1-km hilly ride from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer, but they condemned the burglary.
Each bike is estimated by the team to have cost 13,000 euros ($15,311.40).
"The door of the workshop truck was forced open, and 11 of our LOOK Cycle bikes were stolen despite the security measures that had been put in place," the team said in a statement.
"The Cofidis team strongly condemns this act of incivility and calls on the perpetrators to act with civility and responsibility."
The team added that police officers visited the hotel to document the burglary and had begun their investigation.
($1 = 0.8490 euros)
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron, Writing by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
