Zonnebeke (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Thieves broke into Gheysen Fietstechniek in Zonnebeke at 4 a.m., stealing 11 racing bikes worth €70,000. Owner Bart Gheysen is frustrated; police found the stolen van but not the bikes.
As VRT News reported, early Wednesday morning, June 18, 2025, around 4 a.m., thieves broke into Gheysen Fietstechniek, a bike shop in Zonnebeke, a municipality in the province of West Flanders, Belgium.
According to owner Bart Gheysen, security cameras had everything on film. The thieves broke the back door using a large tree trunk. The femme fatale was protected from ramming by several things, like flower boxes – but it was a quick process. He said they looked like they knew what they were doing and knew how to handle the security.
Who Stole 11 Racing Bikes from Gheysen’s Shop in Zonnebeke?
After getting in, the masked thieves quickly stole 11 expensive racing bikes and left in less than a minute. They seemed to know the area well and planned the robbery. They broke into 2 gates at the nearby De Wizer school to make a quick escape. Officials mentioned that the group of people planned the crime, not just random thieves.
The police are looking at the security footage and the places where they broke in, at both the shop and the school. The value of the bikes that were taken is huge, with investigators urging individuals to contact them with any unusual activity, like someone attempting to sell high-end racing bikes.
Following the bike shop burglary in Zonnebeke, police discovered the thieves’ van that had been stolen a short while earlier. The van had been clearly used in the commission of the crime. Inside, they found items from Gheysen’s shop, confirming the van was used to transport the stolen bikes. Despite this, the 11 high-end racing bikes were missing; the thieves had moved them soon after the theft.
Bart Gheysen says,
“And hopefully it was the last time. We moved here in March last year, so the shop is still fairly new. I’m looking into whether we can protect the shop even better, but I don’t think so. I certainly don’t think I’ll see the bikes again.”
Despite the bike thefts, Gheysen was thankful they were insured for nearly 70,000 euros. He stressed that the shop had excellent security features like special locks, reinforced windows and cameras. But the thieves did not care because they were in and out, taking the bicycle hoard in a flash.
Gheysen mentioned that the break-in caused more damage when a window broke, destroying 3 other bikes. Gheysen is upset by the property damage and the break-in, which was the shop’s first theft. Police are investigating, using security footage and evidence from the van to find the thieves.
