Romanian police discovered the bikes during a raid on individuals suspected of being part of an organised crime group, citing trafficking and illicit drug use.

A statement from the Organised Crime Brigade Galați - Vrancea Organised Crime Service, which worked with prosecutors DIICOT - BT Vrancea, said 20 arrest warrants were issued in the raid.

"On October 28, 2021, the police of the Organised Crime Brigade Galati - Organised Crime Service Vrancea organised an action to combat trafficking and illicit use of high-risk drugs and to identify stolen goods by members of the criminal group, from the territory of other states," the statement read.

"Following the action, the police caught them in flagrante delicto, while they were trying to sell some of the 22 stolen bicycles from France.

"Subsequently, 14 home searches were carried out on homes and buildings in Vrancea County, used by suspects, being identified and seized, for research, 21 bicycles stolen from France, as well as eight interactive screens, a DVR, 10 mobile phones, two grams of hashish, 13,850 lei and 2,800 euros."

The bikes stolen from the Italian team are estimated to be worth around €600,000 (£506,000/$693,000).

Among the stolen items were the gold-painted bikes used by Filippo Ganna, Liam Bertazzo, Jonathan Milan and Simone Consonni to win the team pursuit title at the World Championships.

The Pinarello bikes belonging to the team were valued at around €30,000 (£25,500/$35,000) each, with the titanium 3D-printed handlebars alone said to be worth more than €10,000 (£8,500/$12,000).

The Italian Cycling Federation said police had caught the suspects while they were attempting to sell some of the bikes.

Team manager Roberto Amadio had reportedly been in constant contact with the French and Romanian police during the search.

The bikes are now set to be returned to the team, with Italian police assisting.

Italy enjoyed a successful World Championships in Roubaix, winning four gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

The men’s team pursuit squad added the world title to their Olympic gold, with their latter success leading to them collecting an Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Award last week.

Martina Fidanza and Letizia Paternoster triumphed in the women’s scratch and elimination races in Roubaix, while Elia Viviani secured gold in the men’s elimination race.