The women’s team from the UK awoke on Friday morning to find that their mechanic’s truck had been broken into and that all 14 of their Ribble Endurance SLR bikes, which team manager Tom Varney estimated to be worth “about £55,000” in total, had been taken.
Although Lifeplus-Wahoo had gotten off to a strong start in the competition on Thursday, the theft in Shropshire cast doubt on their ability to continue.
Nevertheless, Lifeplus’ riders were provided enough bikes to begin stage two of the race in Wrexham following a plea to rival team managers.
A Lifeplus spokeswoman stated, “We would like to express our gratitude to all the teams that contributed their extra team bikes and the time of their technicians to help our girls get on the road.
“We wouldn’t be starting without them.”
At the beginning, the squad was seen riding a combination of the bikes and equipment from their competitors, including giant, Look, and Factor bikes from the teams Cofidis, VolkerWessels, and Liv AlUla Jayco.
Co-team director Bob Varney remarked, “Thank goodness our incredible community came together, and with the support of several rival teams, we were able to take the start this morning.”
