Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) has become the latest victim of what is turning into a crime wave, after his bike was stolen from his car today. The Italian champion’s special edition MCipollini RB1000 was taken from the car park of a hotel in Vicenza, in the north of Italy, as Visconti was in the area for a photoshoot with his team’s clothing sponsor Giordana.
The GPS navigator was also taken from the car as thieves smashed the windscreen to get to the bike, which was covered to hide it from view.
Visconti’s RB1000 is unique as it is painted in white, with Italian flag detailing, which stands out from the flouro-yellow and black/carbon frames of the rest of his Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli teammates. The only one similar belongs to the women's national champion Monia Baccaille, who rides for sister team MCipollini-Giambenini.
The estimated value of the bike, with its Shimano Di2 groupset and Carbon Sports Lighweight wheels, is approximately €15,000.
The theft of Visconti’s bike follows just days after the trucks of Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis were broken into the night before the final stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali. The team’s entire fleet of Colnago road and time trial bikes was stolen, forcing the team to withdraw from the race.
While the timing is close, however, it may just be coincidental; it’s entirely possible that the two incidents are unrelated, as the Team Type 1 robbery happened in Zola Predosa.