Cyclists left “shocked, saddened, and angry” after £26,000 worth of bikes stolen from cycling festival

A cyclist has hit out at the “disgusting” bike thieves who targeted the recent Enve Stone Circle gravel cycling event in Salisbury, stealing at least eight bikes worth a combined value of £26,000.

The bikes, which were locked to racks located in the event village in the English Heritage site of Old Sarum, were taken between the finish of the popular gravel-focused sportive on the evening of Saturday 29 June and the following morning, when the event’s participants left the campsite.

The Enve Stone Circle, first held in 2023, is a weekend festival of gravel cycling, featuring a hill climb event, a ‘Festival Fort’ event village at Old Sarum which included camping on site, a DJ, and food and drink, and three route options ranging from 55km to 220km and taking in Wiltshire’s best gravel roads and off-road tracks.

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However, eight unfortunate participants left the event on the worst possible note, after thieves cut through the locks of their bikes, which were all parked in the same area of the campsite.

The bikes stolen included two Giant Revolt Advanced 1 gravel bikes, two Basso Paltas (one red and one yellow/green), an orange Forme trail bike, a grey Cannondale Topstone 2 Lefty, a Canyon Grizl CF SL, and a Nukeproof Digger. The combined value of the stolen bikes is estimated to be around £26,000.

Speaking to the Salisbury Journal, one of the cyclists affected by the targeted and shocking theft, Dean White, said: “I was shocked, saddened, and angry all within a short space to experience something like that and how people can be so disgusting taking away people’s pride and joy.

“I feel lost without the bike, as it becomes part of yourself. It’s quite alarming how common it’s becoming across the country and it’s something that isn’t spoken about enough.”

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He continued: “I’d like to encourage all cyclists to be extra vigilant in looking after and keeping their bikes secure, no matter how secure you think it is.

“When something like this happens it’s organised, and they’re prepared to grab what they can at all costs and sometimes with any means necessary.”

In an appeal for information concerning the thefts, a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: “If you witnessed anything suspicious or have any information then please contact us on 101 quoting reference 54240076610.

“If you also had your bike stolen then please report it via 101 or on our website.”

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As noted by Dean, the number of bike thefts across the UK has grown at an alarming rate in recent years, and while bikes locked to racks in public remain one of the most common targets, we have also seen an increasing number of instances of thieves operating in increasingly targeted and pre-prepared ways to secure high-value bikes from shops or cycling events and races.

Last month, a bike shop owner in Sussex slammed what he called the police’s “abject apathy” after three shops and a house were broken into in one night during a bike theft spree.

At least 17 bikes and other items were stolen during the series of raids, six men in balaclavas spotted breaking into the Giant store in Shoreham, stealing 14 high-end e-mountain bikes.

And earlier in June, ahead of the second stage of the revamped Tour of Britain Women in Wrexham, British squad Lifeplus Wahoo announced on social media that thieves had targeted their base at a hotel in Shropshire, raiding their mechanic’s van and stealing the entirety of the squad’s range of Ribble bikes.

In response to the team’s shocking misfortune, several teams taking part in the race acted quickly and loaned the Lifeplus Wahoo riders their spare bikes and equipment, meaning the squad could continue taking part in the race.

According to Home Office figures, more than 365,000 reported bike thefts have gone unsolved since 2019, with the Liberal Democrats in January warning that the crime has effectively been “decriminalised”.