Euskaltel Euskadi and Baloise Trek Lions were the victims of bike thieves at the Tour of Slovenia and Baloise Belgian Tour, with both teams unable to start the final stage on Sunday.

The Basque pro team suffered the theft of an Obair bike and Vision wheels before the fifth stage to Novo Mesto.

The team reported that the van with all the bikes was stolen overnight, leaving the team of seven, including Txomin Juaristi and Xabier Azparren, unable to complete the race.

"Euskaltel Euskadi had a vehicle carrying his bikes stolen at the Tour of Slovenia. So he will not be able to start the final fifth stage."

The Belgian team also suffered the same fate before the 195km fifth stage in Brussels, with Lars van der Haar, Joris Nieuwenhuys and their teammates unable to race today.

In a statement released on Instagram, the team said, "Last night we were the victims of a bike and wheel theft. Unfortunately, we will not be able to start the final stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour today. We await the police investigation."

This incident is not the first time a team has suffered a mass theft. Last November, SD Walks was the victim of numerous team bike thefts, and earlier this year the Israel Cycling Academy had 22 bikes stolen at a training camp in Spain.

In late 2021, Romanian police recovered an estimated €500,000 gold Pinarello stolen from an Italian track team before the track world championships.