DURBAN - An appeal is being made to Durban residents to be on the lookout for Easter weekend.
Hylton Belitzky, KZN Track Chairman, said they arrived at the Velodrome on Tuesday afternoon to find that the lock on their storage garage where the bikes were kept, had been broken.
"We had locked up the place and due to schools opening on Tuesday, lessons resumed. When we got here, we found that more than 20 bicycles were stolen. These are specialised track bikes," he said.
Some of the bikes were donated by parents whose children had outgrown them, while others were purchased by Belitzky through his cycling academy. He added that to replace each bike would cost R12 000 each.
The bikes have a small frame, a single gear and no brakes. They were used to train children, aged 8 -12, from townships across the city.
Greg Alberts, an avid biker and owner of Cyclesphere Cycling, said the theft was a huge knock to the KZN Track Cycling Development. Police are investigating further.