Thieves steal 200 bicycles from bike maker

That’s what happened at the headquarters of Scott Sports in Givisiez in the canton of Fribourg, local newspaper La Liberté reported online on Thursday.

The theft occurred last weekend when thieves broke into the bike manufacturer’s premises either late Saturday or early Sunday morning, the newspaper said.

The carried off the high-end bicycles, worth more than one million francs ($1.12 million) in a van stolen from the area, La Liberté said.

“They must have been well equipped because they disconnected our security systems,” Pascal Ducrot, deputy director of Scott Sports is quoted as telling the newspaper.

Scott is a Swiss company descended from an American enterprise launched in 1958 in Sun Valley, Idaho by engineer Ed Scott to make ski poles.

The company, which has gone through changes in ownership, subsequently branched out into other sports equipment including ski boots, goggles, bicycles, runniing shoes, clothing and accessories.

It established a site in Fribourg in 1978 and currently employs around 140 people at its headquarters in Givisiez, with branches elsewhere in the US, Taiwan and France.

Bicycles, including VTT and racing models, remain its major line of business.