Children who attend Reading's unique cycling club have been left without key equipment following a break-in and theft from Palmer Park Velo.

The five road bikes stolen were worth in excess of three thousand pounds. The bikes were recently purchased to replace others stolen in a previous break-in.  The theft, which took place between Monday 8 and Saturday 13 of August, was discovered as the children arrived for their training session on Saturday morning. It meant a number of children were left without bikes to ride.

The theft was from the club's storage space in the basement of the Palmer Park Sports Stadium in East Reading. The thieves broke into the store and then used bolt shears to cut through cables used to lock the bikes. 

The theft comes as a significant blow to the club. Head Coach Andrew Pitt commented: "Palmer Park Velo supports kids from all walks of life. Having our own bikes mean that club members can ride a top-quality machine even if they can't afford their own bike."

Thames Valley Police have been informed. The crime number is: EA3887054/11.  The bikes, all marked with the Palmer Park Velo logo, are:

3 x silver-blue Specialized Dolce Sport racing bikes.
2 x red and white Giant OCR racing bikes.

If you have any information that can help Palmer Park Velo recover these valuable bikes, please contact Thames Valley Police or Chris Macleod via email on info@palmerparkvelo.com.