UCI Mountain Bike World Cup hosted in Fort William hit by £70,000 theft

Thieves have stolen around £70,000 worth of bikes and equipment after athletes from around the world travelled to Scotland to take part in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

The event hosted at Nevis Range in Fort William has attracted more than 21,000 spectators to the Highlands this weekend.

But between 7.30pm on Friday, May 20, and 7.45am on Saturday, May 21, £70,000 worth of bikes and equipment went missing with vehicles involved in the event damaged.

Among the victims were cyclists from the Californian non-profit team Union who were left “heartbroken” to discover all of their bikes had been stolen overnight.

Laurie Greenland performs at UCI DH World Cup in Fort William. Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

“Long story short, came here this morning, found the back of the truck here wide open, all the bikes gone, lots of parts gone,” a team member said in a video posted to social media.

“Lots of gear gone. It was pretty much a mad dash. Thanks to the Syndicate we were able get on track. Had a spare frame luckily. A bunch of people were helping out, throwing in parts and all that.

“Thanks to everyone who helped out. We’ll hopefully not have to return the favour but, yeah, owe some people some beers for sure.”

Detective sergeant Louise Thewlis said: “We are appealing for anyone who was in the area of the Nevis Range and Torlundy at the time who may have witnessed anything or has any information about the whereabouts of the bikes and equipment to get in touch.

“You can call Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference 0798 of May 21, 2022, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

It comes as it is announced Nevis Range will play host to the world’s greatest downhill riders as the official venue for the Mountain Bike Downhill as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland.