Israel Cycling Academy's preseason preparations took a hit as the team was deprived of 17 bikes in Spain on Monday.

The team is a training setup for the WorldTour-level Israeli Premier Tech team of Chris Froome and Jacob Fuglsang, which competes in international races at the continental level.

Both teams gathered in Catalonia for a training camp in preparation for the start of their 2022 campaign.

On Monday, the Academy's Silver Factor bike was stolen from the team's equipment truck outside their hotel.

"Today, 17 of the Israel Cycling Academy's factor bikes were stolen from the team's truck near Girona, Spain.

"The frames are silver, red and black as pictured below. Anyone with information is asked to contact us."

Bike theft is hardly uncommon in the professional cycling world. A few months ago, the Italian national team lost a number of bikes to theft at the Roubaix stadium for the track world championships.

Many other teams have suffered thefts in recent years, including BikeExchange and the Trek-Segafredo women's team.

There have also been threats of personal theft, with Geraint Thomas and Ivan Cortina finding their bikes snatched while having coffee on a recent training ride.

The Israel Cycling Academy has registered 16 athletes for 2022, half of whom are Israelis. They will compete in international races and, according to UCI regulations, some of them will be eligible to be called up to represent the World Tour in certain races.