Ladri di Biciclette: Giovanni Visconti's €15,000 custom MCipollini bike stolen

A unique MCipollini RB 1000 bike worth €15,000, the frame finished in the Italian national colours, has been stolen from Giovanni Visconti, the country’s national road champion, from outside a hotel in Vicenza.

The Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli rider had been at the hotel to take part in a photoshoot, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Thieves broke into his car through the windscreen and took the bike, which had been stored in the boot. They also took a satnav device from the dashboard.

It’s the second high-profile theft of a bike targeting pro racers in Italy in the space of a few days, although as yet there is no suggestion the incidents are linked.

Last week, Professional Continental outfit Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis were forced to pull out of the final stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali after all of their Colnago bikes and frames were stolen from team vehicles the previous evening.