TWO specialist racing bikes have been stolen from the home of a champion cyclist as he slept upstairs.

Police said the thieves broke into Jason Bateman’s Earby home through patio doors at the back of the property before making off with the bikes.

Jason, who rides 10 and 20-mile time trials, has been club champion at Pendle Forest Cycling Club for the last decade and also won last year’s NLTTA Speed Bar.

The 39-year-old, who works in Hapton valued the state-of-the-art equipment at around £10,000.

“The bikes are set up for my positioning and one is specifically a racing bike,” he said.

“It isn’t comfortable so you couldn’t just go out for a ride on the road.

"It’s designed to take you out of the wind, so it’s a pretty specialist piece of kit.”

“At first I thought they had targeted my property just for the bikes, but the police think it might have been a gang who steal high-powered cars because I have an Audi S3.

“People in the cycling community will know how important the bikes are, so I would ask them to keep their eyes open and if they see or hear anything, to let me or the police know.”

The first bike is made up of a small, blue and white Pinarello FP2 time trial frame, Shimano Dura Ace groupset with 10 speed gear changing extensions, Missile tri-bars, Pinarello black seat pin, rotor elliptical main chainring and blue Speedplay pedals.

The second bike includes a small, red and black Pinarello Dogma frame, Shimano Dura Ace 10 speed gear changing extensions, Pinarello black seat pin, white saddle and handlebars, Mavic R-SYS wheels and white Speedplay pedals.

A pair of Zipp 808 wheels with a Shimano Dura Ace cassette and Michelin Pro Race tyres were also stolen in the raid.

Anyone with information should call police on 0845 125 3545 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.