Is the whole move away from horizontal dropouts about stiffness? Maybe a little about brake alignment too?
I see the 24s have went vertical. I'm guessing that's about getting a very short back end. 355mm!!
Unfortunately these things happen all the time. A friend had his bikes knicked out of his garage (attached to the house) while he was sat at dinner!
Stand in a hotel car park at 2-3-4am and I bet you wont see another soul for hours. Easy done.
One caravan is all they'd need.
Looks like they had been travelling and stopped over at a hotel. Not like they're going to bring 20 bikes into their room are they? In saying that, 20 bikes in that van? I find that hard to believe.
Even if that was in fact "ok", there is a high chance of the calliper drifting under load and pulling itself closer to the frame, and in turn making the calliper rub.
Insane.
Like the momentum you use for gaps.
Enjoy that you hold on till you fall off too. Most would give up for fear of death. You just grip the bars tighter and curl your toes over the pedals