"Organisers have a duty of care" – Patrick Lefevere slams lack of security amid rise in bike thefts in pro cycling

The recent spate of high-profile bike thefts in professional cycling has once again cast a spotlight on a growing problem that teams can no longer afford to treat as isolated incidents.

In his latest column for Het Nieuwsblad, former Soudal - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere called for a serious reassessment of responsibility when it comes to safeguarding team equipment – with race organisers squarely in the frame. “You can ask whether organisers don’t have a duty of care towards the teams,” Lefevere wrote. “Shouldn’t they be securing our parking areas?”

His comments follow the shocking theft of approximately €250,000 worth of Cervélo bikes from Team Visma | Lease a Bike during the Vuelta a Espana – a crime carried out with such speed and efficiency that it's clear these aren’t opportunistic one-offs, but well-coordinated operations. The Dutch squad wasn’t alone. French team TotalEnergies also suffered a similar loss earlier this season.

For Lefevere, who has seen his own team fall victim in the past, the situation has reached an unsustainable level.

In detailing the defensive measures teams are already forced to take, Lefevere paints a picture that would seem absurd were it not so necessary. “We park the truck carrying the bikes tight against a wall so that the tailgate can’t be opened. Or we position another vehicle in front of it. And if the gate still opens during the night, an alarm is triggered in the mechanics’ room.”

Yet even with this level of caution, nothing is guaranteed. Lefevere recalls one particular incident during a race in Tuscany, when the team was still racing under the Quick-Step name. “The mechanics had opted to transport the bikes in a van rather than the team lorry. It’s understandable – you can drive at 120 km/h in a van, which saves a lot of time getting to Italy. But for thieves, it’s a gift.”

The van – and the valuable bikes inside – were stolen in the night. CCTV footage later revealed the operation in full: a gang using their own vehicle to cross a vineyard, cutting through the hotel fencing, and emptying the team’s van in a matter of minutes. “Unbelievable how quickly ours was cleared out and theirs filled up,” Lefevere said. “And if it starts taking too long, they simply dump the bikes in bushes or woods. They know they need to move fast.”

While teams have clearly been forced to adopt their own security protocols – from reinforced lorry positioning to on-call alarms – Lefevere argues that the burden shouldn’t fall solely on them. The core of his frustration lies in the absence of structural support from race organisers. “You start to wonder why organisers aren’t stepping up,” he said. “They invite us to their races, use our riders and equipment to sell their event, and yet we’re left to fend for ourselves when it comes to basic protection.”

It’s a point few would argue with. Teams already carry the cost of logistics, staffing, and equipment – often totalling millions per year. To then suffer substantial financial and material losses during a race due to lax venue security feels, to many, like an avoidable failure.

In a sport where margins are tight and equipment is bespoke, the implications of a theft go beyond mere inconvenience. Replacement frames, custom setups, and race readiness are all affected – sometimes with little notice before a stage.

Despite the serious tone of his piece, Lefevere does allow himself a moment of wry nostalgia. “During a race in Puglia, I noticed a lot of scooters circling our parking area – young lads clearly interested in what we had.”

Concerned, Lefevere raised the issue with the hotel owner, who offered a very Italian solution. “He said, for a small fee, he could sort it out. I paid, and not long after, two of those scooters reappeared – only now they were acting as our security, complete with weapons tucked into their tracksuit bottoms.”

“Those were the good old days,” Lefevere quipped.

Jokes aside, the message is clear: professional cycling can no longer treat these incidents as bad luck or isolated misfortunes. The increasing sophistication of the thefts points to criminal networks targeting races with impunity, and unless organisers take a more proactive role in securing team areas – particularly at hotels and start zones – it’s likely the problem will continue to escalate.

Teams are doing what they can. But without structural support, it’s a game of cat and mouse they can’t win alone.

As Lefevere succinctly put it: “Organisers have a duty of care – it’s time they acted like it.”