Irish professional cyclist Stephen Clancy has lost a bag, containing one of his bikes and other kit all value at about €12,000, after a journey through Dublin Airport.
The Novo Nordisk ProContinental team rider has been trying for almost two weeks to track his luggage with no success, despite spending hours on the phone in a bid to track down the bike bag.
He told stickybottle the missing bike bag contained his Argon training bike, which he sometimes uses for racing if his team truck is not at an event. As well as the bike, Clancy also had diabetes sensors in the bag along with "many weeks supply of continuous glucose monitors" along with "helmet, shoes, tools and other personal items".
Clancy, a 29-year-old from Co Limerick, has been a professional with his current team for a decade and is one of the longest-serving pros Irish cycling has ever produced.
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He has diabetes and the team he rides for is comprised of diabetics, whose main goal is to prove they can compete in a demanding professional sport, thus demonstrating the condition does not need to hold back those who have it.
He has ridden some major events this year, including Tour of Oman where he was in the breakaway for most of the second stage. However, the loss of his kit, and the fact he has been unable to get any news of it, has been a blow for him over the last two weeks, especially as he needs some of the missing equipment to manage his diabetes.
He flew from Dublin Airport to Copenhagen with Fly SAS on June 29th and the bag was lost at some point along the way. Out of frustration he has taken to social media to appeal for information, saying his own efforts to establish what happened to his bag, and where it is now, have not been successful.
Clancy's experience, while very frustrating, has been repeated at Dublin Airport, and some other major European airports, as passenger numbers have increased following the pandemic.
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Many airports have struggled to cope with the spike in numbers as recruiting and training new staff has been a major difficulty. While the most obvious problem has been long delays at airports, bagging handling has also been an issue.
Many passengers, including those who have traveled through Dublin Airport, have complained of lost luggage, with poor follow-up when their bags have been lost and they have tried to find them.
