Following the stealing of 16 Ridley bikes, specifically Helium and Noah assembled Campagnolo Record, from the truck of team Silence-Lotto, in the night between Febr. 15 and 16, during the "Giro of the Provincia di Grosseto", Race Productions (Ridley) officially warns anybody from buying any Ridley bike or frame, outside the authorised dealer network, visible on www.ridley-bikes.com
Regular bikes and frames must always come with Ridley Instruction manual and warranty sheet.
The stolen material can be easily recognized, for the logos of the sponsors and traced by Ridley, thanks to the serial numbers embossed on the frames and Race Productions informs that they will take legal action against any possible user of these bikes, as well as against any painter who might be asked to re-paint the frames, which by the way would not be very easy, with the same quality of the original product.
The team, after reporting to the Italian authorities, had to leave the race and went to Salsomaggiore Terme for a short training camp in preparation of Trofeo Laigueglia, of nex week-end. At the same time one of the mechanics left to Belgium to take new bikes, immediately prepared by Ridley, during the week end.
Following the initial astonishment and sadness, especially from Popovich and the other his teammates, who could not continue the race, everybody took this bad event with a feeling of hyronic resignation : evidently even thiefs are good experts of racing bicycles and selected with attention which bikes to steal. Authorities do not exclude it might have been a stealing on order, which we are used to hear in the world of pieces of art, but it would probably be the first case, at this level, for racing bicycles.
In attachment one of the stolen bikes, Popovich's Helium.
