Remco Evenepoel is currently recovering from injuries sustained in a crash with a postal worker's van and the Soudal-QuickStep rider has now also been targeted in a robbery by another postal worker.
The double Olympic champion was sent the card via the postal service but it was taken by the postman, who then withdrew €9,000 on Evenepoel's card and also targeted others in the same way.
In total, he stole €19,500 using multiple cards he was able to take during the course of his work. He appears to have used the money to feed a chronic gambling habit.
The suspect, from Anderlecht, Belgium, is facing allegations he stole 12 cards, with a criminal investigation getting underway after a woman from Schepdaal was expecting a new card to be delivered to her, though it never arrived.
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However, when she checked the transactions on her card, money had been taken from her account. Police officers established where the card had been used and the CCTV footage recorded at an ATM pointed to the postman.
A search of his property was carried out, with a number of cards found, including the one stolen from Evenepoel. The card intended for the pro rider was linked to a company he is a shareholder in.
"In total, the defendant collected almost €19,500 with the stolen cards," the justice department said, according to The Telegraph. "He used this to pay for his gambling addiction. He then threw away the cards he had used or returned them to their rightful owner."
A sentence of 18 months in prison has been requested and the outcome of the case was expected to be confirmed at the end of next month.
