A group of elite cyclists swiftly put the brakes on a bike thief in Invercargill over the weekend – preventing a $15,000 racing bike from being stolen.
Police sergeant Geoff Sutherland said the elite group was enjoying a meal after one of their races on Saturday, when they witnessed an opportunistic thief take one of their road bikes and pedal away.
“Two of the cyclists mounted their trusty bikes and went into pursuit of the man.”
Sutherland said the offender made it three blocks before “being sandwiched and apprehended”.
“For him, the race was over.”
A police patrol unit was also on-scene within a minute.
“The out-of-breath offender was arrested without incident.
“Thankfully, the $15,000 road racing bike suffered only minor damage, and the owner was able to race the following day in the finals event — with some success.”
A 31-year-old local man was due to appear in Invercargill District Court today, charged with theft.
