Bike thieves strike in Paris-Roubaix: Jasper Stuyven’s wife targeted, also break-in at Jelle Johannink
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Follow us on GoogleWhere there are bikes, unfortunately, there are also bike thefts. This past weekend in Roubaix saw several incidents surrounding the Paris-Roubaix Cyclo event, including the theft of bikes belonging to Elke Bleyaert (wife of Jasper Stuyven) and her friend. In Denekamp, Unibet Tietema Rockets pro Jelle Johannink was also the victim of a break-in.
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Bleyaert shared her frustration with the world on Instagram: “Some bastards broke into our cars and stole our bikes. They also took my suitcase, my backpack, and my cycling gear bag… everything. My heart was broken. I was so disappointed in this world. My laptop and hard drive were in my backpack… and together those two are literally my entire world. I work from anywhere. And all of my work from the last three years was on there,” said Bleyaert, who runs The Female Cycling Tribe.
She had to park her car in a public parking area after the designated spots were full. “We had no other choice but to park our cars on a street near the lot. We covered everything as best we could: I put a blanket over my bike, suitcase, and backpack, and even threw some random jackets on top to make it look like a mess inside the car.”
Despite everything, she still went out the next day to support her partner Jasper, who crashed before the first cobbled sector of Paris-Roubaix and couldn’t compete for a top result. “He never got the chance to prove himself on the cobbles. And I just knew this could’ve been a great day for him. Based on how he was riding during the spring classics, I knew he could’ve done really well in Roubaix. But the universe clearly had other plans for us this weekend,” Bleyaert lamented.
Stuyven did finish Paris-Roubaix, crossing the line in 95th place, over thirteen minutes behind winner Mathieu van der Poel. “My race was over before it had really begun,” Stuyven posted on his social media.
The Belgian rider is now taking some rest after a spring campaign that included a fifth place in both the Tour of Flanders and the E3 Saxo Classic.
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Bikes of Unibet Tietema Rockets pro Johannik also stolen
In Denekamp, three bikes were stolen from the shed of Unibet Tietema Rockets rider Jelle Johannink last week. “Extremely frustrating. The thieves were clearly targeting expensive bikes, because they didn’t take my parents’ electric bikes. In fact, they moved them out of the way to get to the high-end bikes hanging on the wall,” he told AD.
Johannink's race bikes are always kept with the team, and of the bikes stolen from his home, two belonged to his brother. Still, the total damage is estimated at around €10,000. “They weren’t brand-new bikes, so it’s very uncertain how much the insurance will cover. Aside from the money, a break-in like this is just really upsetting—and usually, you never see the bikes again,” he said.
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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