Brazen act of hotel bike theft costs Netherlands team a $10,000 Specialized in Richmond, Virginia

Officials with a team identified only as being from the Netherlands are likely hoping that the events of late last week, before the opening ceremonies of the 2015 UCI road world championships even got underway, aren’t an omen for the rest of the competition.

At around 6:30 pm on Thursday evening, a man entered the Richmond Marriott hotel, near the race’s finish, and made off with one of the squad’s bikes — a Specialized S-Works, valued at more than $10,000. A photo distributed by Richmond police shows the suspect, believed to be between 35 and 40 years of age and around 190 pounds, wearing a fedora, jean shorts, tennis shoes, and a white T-shirt.

The theft, of course, came as thousands of athletes and fans alike were flocking to the U.S. city, anticipating the start of the UCI’s top world road event of the season. Opening ceremonies, meanwhile, officially kicked off the weekend’s competition on Friday night.

According to authorities, the suspect apparently strolled into the hotel amid the bustle of pre-competition activity, and simply left with the multi-thousand-dollar bike, whose identifying features include a black frame and white lettering. Police have yet to recover the valuable machine, reports say, but are encouraging anyone with any leads — including Canadians traveling abroad for the race — to contact Richmond police.