Police in South East London are appealing for help in tracing three bikes stolen from Lee Park, SE3 last week – with a youth photographed riding one of them in Hither Green at the weekend.
The 69-year-old victim, a Great Britain age group athlete, was due to use one of the bikes, at the World Duathlon Championships in Spain later this month.
The bikes had been locked in a shed in the owner’s garden at 5pm last Thursday 8 May, and at 8.30am the following morning he discovered the door was open and the bikes no longer there.
Last Sunday, the owner of a bike shop in Lee Green told police he had seen a youth riding one of the stolen bikes, a Swiss triathlon frame with deep section Zipp wheels, in Hither Green. Details of the other two bikes were not supplied.
A witness, Kate Curran, who belongs to same triathlon club as the victim, took photographs which have been widely retweeted on Twitter with the hashtag #findvernonsbike.
Detective Constable Louise Mayhook from Lewisham police's Serious Acquisitive Crime Unit said: "These bikes are worth approximately £6,000, with each bike worth close to £2,000.
“The victim was to use one of them to compete in the world duathlon championships for Great Britain on 31 May in Spain.
“We are keen to trace the person in the image who is believed to have been riding around on the stolen bike last Sunday," she added.
Anyone who has information is asked to contact Lewisham's Serious Acquisitive Crime Unit on 020 8284 8477 or via 101, or the charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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59 comments
Me and the missus went into a large, two storey sports store recently. She wanted to look for something upstairs, I wanted to look at something downstairs, so we split up, me telling her I'd come up and find her as soon as I'd looked at what I wanted to. When I got to her ten minutes later, she was furious, as the shop radios, turned up to full blast had gone mad talking about us and staff had suddenly appeared near her as she'd got to the top of the stairs. We're both middle aged and fairly well off and were particularly well dressed that day. What I'm saying is, it doesn't matter what you look like for people to have misconceptions about you.
Judging by your piccie I don't blame the staff
... saddle height, being one of them.
Never mind all that, look at all The Rules he is breaking!
So why didn't the woman call 999? Should have said she had been assaulted by a cyclist riding on the pavement which would have got her a police helicopter and about 25 police cars within 10 minutes such are the scourge of pavement cyclists.
Should have made a citizen's arrest.
Nice shoes though ………………. are they SPDs?
And why did the stupid owner store his bikes in a garden shed? Numptee.
"And why did the stupid owner store his bikes in a garden shed? Numptee."
This is such a dumb (and needlessly abrasive) comment. Not everybody has a garage, for starters (especially in London), or space inside their house for a bike or three. Sheds are fine for storing bikes anyway -- certainly the bike insurance I have is quite happy for you to store your bike in a shed.
After having three bikes stolen over the years, I now keep one in the dining area at the end of the kitchen and two in the living room; and one behind my desk when I'm at work. I'd much rather lose a little bit of space and have to 'live around them' than have any more stolen. It's all about what's most important.
you may scoff but aerobars are quite handy for dangling a carrier bag full of tabs and lager if you need to nip out to the corner shop, it's not such an unwise choice.
FWIW - a friend had his expensive aero bike returned after a theft when a clued up copper saw someone he judged to be inappropriately dressed tooling around on it. Prejudice or instinct - whatever, he got his bike back.
No helmet either. when they catch him they ought to cut his goolies off
only needed to go as far as the local pub or pawnshop though...
Sky's new skinsuit?
I wonder if he knows how to change gear on it.
I remember seeing a fat middle ages Asian fella wearing baggy sweaters amongst other things riding around on a pavement on bike with Zipp wheels near kings cross about a year ago. Alarm bells were ringing when i saw this, but i didn't really know what to do.
Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, perhaps?
Up to his old tricks again I see...
Sadly the little scrote could probably ride past 99.9 per cent of Londoners on a TT bike with Zipp deep sections and nobody would see anything out of the ordinary...
Help me out here, I'm trying to decide if you're more offended by the theft or the fact he isn't dressing appropriately to ride that bike.
Equal weighting perhaps?
I know, I know. Despite all the Police campaigns and media coverage, you still get cyclists in London who refuse to wear a hi-viz vest!
After all of this publicity it is probably worth checking the railway embankment by the flats, or Manor Park/River Quaggy, although I am sure this is being done.
Fingers crossed all ends well
I know you don't expect your gear to be stolen, but £6k worth of bikes, "locked in a shed"? How secure was the shed. I think if I had bikes like that, they'd be in the house.
or else some Sold Secure Gold rated chains and ground anchors to secure the damned things to the ground with... that's what my insurance requires.
I live on a council estate and have my bike secured with a ground anchor and chain. All gold rated. Requires serious noisy tools to cut through.
If someone really wants them though they'll get them.
All you can do are meet the criteria for your insurance and hope you'll never need to claim.
He's still riding it in the area in which he nicked it? He's not the sharpest tool then
But still a tool nontheless
That skip cap is seriously going to take away any aerodynamics of the bike. Think he should have turned it round the other way. And the hood will just catch the wind. If he ever gets two feet on the pedals for long enough. Hope they get returned, and undamaged.
Hope they catch him. Talk about being blatantly obvious.
How on earth did he think he was going to blend in on a bike like that whilst wearing bright green trainers and in central london?!
The arrogance of the modern young Bandit.
Obviously someone took a picture of him because he was riding on the pavement. Apart from that, it looks like a typical scene in south London of a lad out enjoying his bike
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