Specialized HQ targeted in major bike theft
Specialized is counting the cost of a break-in at the company’s Morgan Hill headquarters late on Saturday afternoon.
At least 16 high-value bikes were stolen in the robbery, with the thieves forcing entry to the company HQ during daylight hours. Many of the bicycles were housed in Specialized’s in-house museum, and a number of employee-owned bikes and prototypes were also stolen.
The total financial value of the stolen bicycles has been estimated at US$160,000, although given the memories attached to some of them, a more accurate assessment is that they’re irreplaceable.
Among the bikes stolen were famous and podium-winning machines from throughout Specialized’s history, including:
- Peter Sagan’s Paris-Roubaix winning S-Works Roubaix
- Peter Sagan’s custom-painted S-Works Venge, ridden at the 2019 Tour de France
- A yellow S-Works Tarmac ridden by Fabian Cancellara while in the maillot jaune at the 2010 Tour de France
- The S-Works Shiv ridden by Tony Martin to Olympic silver in London
- The S-Works Epic ridden by Jaroslav Kulhavy to Olympic gold in London
- An S-Works Tarmac ridden by multiple world triathlon champion and Rio gold medallist, Gwen Jorgensen
- Ned Overend’s national championship-winning S-Works Fatboy
Company founder Mike Sinyard had two personal Stumpjumpers stolen, while also taken from the museum was a bonkers full-suspension road prototype dubbed the ‘Scrambled Egger’, which should be virtually impossible to sell, because look at it:
The Morgan Hill Police Department says that the unidentified suspects are believed to have used two different vehicles in the burglary – a maroon Toyota 4Runner and a white van. The Toyota was later dumped in Salinas, California, while the van containing the bicycles remains at large.
A representative from Specialized told CyclingTips that as the theft occurred over the weekend, no staff were threatened or witnesses to the robbery, and on-site staff are limited because of current COVID-19 regulations.
Specialized is offering a US$25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, and/or the return of the stolen bikes.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation can contact Corporal Mindy Zen of the Morgan Hill Police Department at (669) 253-4917 or the anonymous tip line 408.947-STOP (7867).
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