Team Sky have had 16 bikes stolen from their hotel in Trans-en-Provence, but will still compete in the Tour du Haut Var in France after finding replacements.

The theft meant that the team could have been forced to withdraw from the two-day event, which starts on Saturday.

However, two bikes were left untouched, while five others have been picked up from a team base in Nice. French squad Bretagne-Seche Environnement have given them the eighth bike.

Shaun Stephens, Team Sky race coach, told Sky Sports News: "The thieves took all the bikes, bar two, and we presume they only left those because they had run out of space in whatever transport they were using. They also took some of the spare training wheels, and various bits of other equipment.

"We are still able to take part in the race though and seven of our eight riders will be riding team-issue Pinarellos. The two that were left in the van are going to be used and we managed to source five others from our training house in Nice, which is about an hour away from where we are staying.

"The remaining bike we have been able to borrow from the Bretagne-Seche Environnement team, who we have been sharing our hotel with. That was a really nice gesture from them and we appreciate it a lot. Things like that really show the spirit of cycling and we can't thank them enough."

Sebastian Henao will ride the borrowed bike for the sprint stage, and Chris Sutton will take over on Sunday.