updated 3:24 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2013

(Reuters) - The Garmin team pulled out of the Tour of the Mediterranean ahead of Saturday's fourth stage after 17 of their bikes were stolen from a hotel car park in southern France.

"Our truck was broken into during the night ... with thieves stealing 17 bikes, several sets of wheels and other equipment," the American outfit said in a statement.

"This is a big loss for the team, not just from an equipment standpoint but because the Tour was a huge goal for us and the team was in great shape for it," added director Jonathan Vaughters.

Local authorities are investigating the robbery which took place 20 miles from Marseille.

(Writing by Gregory Blachier, editing by Tony Jimenez)