Thieves steal nearly $400,000 of Pinarello bikes in double robbery from brand’s HQ
Crooks broke into the building in Treviso twice on the same day
On Thursday, a group of thieves executed a daring heist at Pinarello’s headquarters in Treviso, Italy. Approximately 20 hours later, they brazenly returned to the same location and pilfered a second batch of top-of-the-line bikes. All in all, 19 bikes were stolen from the showroom.
The first break-in at Pinarello HQ
In the early morning hours, three robbers, masked with balaclavas and gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, approached the administrative offices of Pinarello. After breaching a perimeter fence, they swiftly reached the workshop’s panic door. Once inside, the perpetrators efficiently seized 12 bikes with a combined value of 150,000 euros in just three minutes. The break-in was clearly planned well in advance, according to authorities.
This remarkable efficiency indicated that the thieves had conducted a thorough reconnaissance a few days earlier, disguising themselves as customers to pinpoint the precise location where the high-end bikes were showcased, as reported by La Tribuna di Treviso.
The second heist of the day
Later the same day, around 11 pm on Thursday, the criminals, undeterred by law enforcement or video surveillance, revisited the scene of the crime. Once again, they infiltrated the fencing and forcibly reopened the workshop’s panic door. This time, their focus remained on the high-end models, and they made off with seven Pinarello bikes valued at around 100,000 euro.
Pinarello provided law enforcement with video surveillance footage, though the chances of recovering these high-end bikes are slim, according to police–although it has occurred on occasion.
This isn’t the first notable case of one of Italy’s most renowned bike company’s being involved in a theft. In 2021, the Italian national team had their pursuit bikes stolen. Each of the high-end machines was valued at $20,000, including Filippo Ganna’s golden one, to commemorate his win at the Olympics.
Eventually, Romanian police officers found the bikes during an operation targeting a drug trafficking network in Romania. The law enforcement successfully dismantled the network engaged in transporting significant amounts of cocaine and hashish. In addition to the narcotics, the authorities discovered 22 distinctive machines—the ripped off Pinarellos. The collective value of these bikes amounted to over $1 million.
