Crooks in Austria have left a Perth businessman devastated after they stole £30,000 of sporting equipment.
Four top-of-the-range bikes were taken from a van owned by Perth City Cycles. They had been taken to Leogang, in the Salzburg region, to allow four local boys to compete in last weekend’s UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup.
The thieves were able to unlock and relock the van without damaging it, leading Austrian police to believe the firm was a victim of key cloners.
Key cloning is when thieves wirelessly capture the signal from a remote vehicle key and then use it to open the locked vehicles.
Alisdair McKendrick, who owns Perth City Cycles with his son David, said he initially thought the carbon fibre Trek Session 9.9 bikes had already been unloaded and he had merely forgotten.
However, he realised the £7,000-a-piece bikes had been stolen when he noticed the interior of the vehicle was in disarray, with footprints clearly visible on the seats.
The 57-year-old said: “After we were settled in (to the accommodation) I went to the van to check it was locked. I even pulled on the handle, which is not something I normally do, and it was definitely locked. When I got up the next day I went to the van to get some coffee, which was in the van.
“I pointed the remote at it and heard it unlock but there was no bikes inside. I was so surprised to see them gone that I had to check we hadn’t unloaded them the previous night.”
He immediately contacted the police, who had a specialist look at the van.
Alisdair said: “An expert had a look at the locks and said there was no marks, there was no visible signs of entry. She started talking about key cloning. The thieves probably did it while I was setting up in the pit ahead of the race. If they are within 50 metres of the key they can clone it.
“They were able to open the van, steal the stuff and lock it again leaving it looking like it hadn’t been touched.”
The theft left the group’s participation in the World Cup in jeopardy. However, one member was able to build a bike from borrowed parts while the remaining three were forced to rent machines at a cost of £400.
The loss ruined their race prospects.
Alisdair said: “They were not used to the bikes as they’d never ridden them before. The set-up was generic, instead of being tailored to the individual.
“The end result was that none of them qualified for the final. If this hadn’t happened two of them probably would have.
“If I got hold of the people that did this, it wouldn’t be good.”
He added that the rest of the racing season is also in doubt as the four racers now had to source enough parts to build new bikes.
”One bike has a 2006 frame,” said Alisdair. “It’s eight years old and past its sell-by-date.
”One of the riders has had to cancel his entry in the Scottish Championships because he doesn’t have a bike to ride. The parents of another have had to fork out £4000 on a second hand bike.
“I don’t know how it’s going to impact on the rest of the season.”
A spokesman for Austrian police in the Salzburg region of the country said: “We are investigating after four downhill mountain bikes were stolen from a van in the run-up to the World cup races.
“Also taken were tires, carbon rims and tools. Unfortunately there is no specific information about the perpetrators and there are no known witnesses.”