Ford loses $80 000 in equipment to thieves

ONE WEEK AFTER winning a Pan American medal, Barbados’ top international cyclist lost something of even more value.Barry Forde has suffered the loss of $80 000 in bicycles and equipment after thieves broke into his residence in Berlin, Germany sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning. Forde, who is currently in Berlin, discovered the loss when he went to retrieve his bike in preparation for training early yesterday. Among the items lost were three bicycles along with equipment and tools.Forde’s Manager, Keith Simmons, said the loss is a significant blow to Barry’s training programme especially as it comes on the eve of his participation in the Central American and Caribbean Games slated for Mayaguez, Puerto Rico from July 17 to August 1. Forde recently won the silver medal in the Keirin of the 2010 Pan American Cycling Championships held in Mexico earlier this month.The top rated Bajan cyclist had returned to Germany with his coach, Gary Neiwand, following the Pan Am Championships to await processing of his visa for Australia. His management team has already begun efforts to try and replace the stolen bikes and equipment with all urgency so as to prevent the loss of too much training and preparation time ahead of the CAC Games and other events. (PR)