MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — Thieves made off with museum pieces and bikes owned by employees of Specialized Bicycle Components last Sunday, Dec. 13.
According to police bikes valued at more than $160,000 were taken from the company’s headquarters during a daytime break-in and robbery.
Prototypes and personally-owned bikes were taken, as well as bikes on display in the company’s museum, located in the lobby of the world headquarters in Morgan Hill.
The tally is 18 bikes gone missing. Among them are irreplaceable, custom bicycles made for cycling celebrities.
Mike Sinyard, who founded the company in 1974, lost two Stumpjumpers in the incident.
Also taken were Ned Overend’s national championship-winning S-Works Fatboy, an S-Works Tarmac ridden by 2016 Olympic triathlon champion Gwen Jorgensen, an S-Works Shiv ridden by Tony Martin at the 2012 Olympics, a yellow S-Works Tarmac ridden by Fabian Cancellara at the 2010 Tour de France, Peter Sagan’s Paris-Roubaix winning S-Works Roubaix and his custom-painted S-Works Venge from the 2019 Tour de France, as well as an S-Works Epic ridden by Jaroslav Kulhavy at the 2012 Olympics, reports PinkBike.
Morgan Hill police said a white box truck and a maroon Toyota 4Runner were used to transport the stolen bikes.
The Toyota was found abandoned in neighboring Salinas, about 40 miles from the scene of the break-in. Law enforcement is still searching for the unidentified box truck.
The public is urged to report any information about the theft through an anonymous tip line 408-947-STOP(7867) or directly to the Morgan Hill Police Department. Specialized is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in this break-in, or the return of all the stolen bikes.
In 2015, thieves stole several bikes from the headquarters. A nearby retailer helped recover them quickly.
And a year ago, thieves broke into the Specialized Experience Center in Boulder, Colo., stealing nine bikes. Zeb King, the center's director, told BRAIN for a March story that groups targeting his location and Denver-area retailers in late 2019 were well organized.
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The van used has not been recovered. Still from video surveillance provided by Morgan Hill PD. -
The van used has not been recovered. Still from video surveillance provided by Morgan Hill PD.
