DUNKIRK, France (Reuters) -Eleven bicycles belonging to Cofidis, stolen overnight before the second stage of the Tour de France, have been recovered, the team’s general manager Cedric Vasseur said on Monday following the third stage of the race.

"I had Christian Prudhomme (the Tour's director) on the phone during the stage. He was with the prefect to tell us that the bikes had been found in the afternoon", Vasseur told France TV after the conclusion of the third stage.

The team had earlier reported that five of the 11 bikes had been recovered.

"Some of the staff combed the area and managed to get their hands on five bicycles, which had been thrown away by the criminals in undergrowth near the hotel", the team said in a press release.

(Reporting by Vincent Daheron; Editing by Ken Ferris)