The facts took place just before the last stage of Paris-Nice. Two men have managed to steal the luxury watch of Slovenian champion Tadej Pogacar, double winner of the Tour de France. One of the two individuals had managed to enter the cyclist’s room. The two men, aged 32 and 37, were sentenced in Nice on Tuesday to four years in prison and were also fined 50,000 euros each, the prosecution said.
The day before his coronation in the general classification of “the race for the sun”, the Slovenian had his Richard Mille brand watch, sponsor of his team, stolen directly from his hotel, in Valbonne, near Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes ). Worth 165,000 euros, it has never been found.
A safe containing two Rolexes also stolen
The two individuals had also seized a safe containing two Rolex Daytonas, which were also not found, from a Nice couple, according to Nice morning. These thefts of luxury watches are increasing on the Côte d’Azur and in nearby Italy.
At the beginning of April, the carabinieri announced the arrest of three men and a woman suspected of having stolen, in April 2022 in Italy, a luxury watch from the Monegasque F1 driver Charles Leclerc, by snatching him from the wrist. According to the Italian agency Ansa, it was again a Richard Mille brand watch, worth around 300,000 euros. The watch has not been found either.