Where Are You Most Likely To Lose Your Bike?

 Perhaps no-one would be surprised to learn that, according to the FBI, more bicycles are stolen in California than in any other US state. After all, it is the most populous state and has many active cycling communities.

It probably wouldn’t surprise many people to learn that my home state of New York, with the fourth-largest population, ranks fifth in total bike thefts.

On a per-100,000 people basis, however, neither the Golden nor Empire State is at or near the top. The District of Columbia leads that ignominious list, with 246 thefts per 100,000. The US capital’s rate is nearly double that of the highest state, Oregon, where 128 bikes are pilfered per 100,000 people.

(For reference, the US average is 44 per 100,000.)

Photo by KMGH

Those facts may not be so shocking, given the population density of DC and the bicycle culture in such Beaver State cities as Portland. 

Perhaps the most surprising fact is that Vermont, Montana and Utah—states with lower crime rates than the US average—rank fourth, fifth and eighth*—respectively, in per-100,000 bike thefts.

The Green Mountain and Treasure States’ fourth- and fifth-place rankings might be explained in part by their small populations: a relatively low number of thefts can skew the averages upwards. I have never been to Montana or Utah, but my guess is that they share some other characteristics with Vermont: a significant portion of their populations participate in outdoor activities, including cycling, and, perhaps, a sense of calm that causes people to let their guard down.

Perhaps Kryptonite should re-name their New York bike locks.

*—The District of Columbia (Washington DC) is ranked as a state for this purpose.

Which Is Less Likely?

 What might you have in common with Miguel Indurain?

Well, not five Tour de France victories—unless you’re Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Mercx or Bernard Hinault.

Otherwise, it’s most likely that if you share any experience with the Basque legend, it’s that of having your bike stolen.

Last month, he was prepping for the six-day Titan Desert mountain bike race when his machine was taken from a van parked outside a hotel in Vilaseca, a Catalonian town where Indurain was staying.

Now, if you’re lucky, you might have another commonality with him: one that might seem almost as rare as five Tour de France victories.

He got his bike back.  The local police force reported the return, which they effected.

Now we are, unfortunately, in still-rarer, if not quite as rare as five TdF wins, territory: the constables actually helping someone to reunite with their bike. 

Miguel Indurain deserves such cooperation. So do you, should your bike ever be stolen.

Who Would Take A Bike Away From A Kid?

What kind of person would steal a kid’s lunch money?

Probably the same kind of person who would take a bike from a kid who just got it—on the day before Christmas Eve, no less.

That is what happened to not just one child inside Fowler High School in Syracuse, New York.  There, the Central New York Bike Giveaway—one of the largest of its kind—put 1500 bikes into the hands of kids who wouldn’t have otherwise had them. But some people, apparently frustrated by waiting on a long line outside the school, snatched bikes away from the youngsters as they left.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_OyxKvugOyE&si=-_sNo7V6EVQrUTBX

“This is really a sad situation,” said Jan Maloff, who said “this has never happened before” during the 30 years he’s held the event. 

Still, he declared the event a success and sent his volunteers back to where he had “another 200 to 300 bikes prepped” when the bikes ran out.

He plans to continue the event for next Christmas but “will probably bring in á private security force” in addition to Syracuse police so that “something like this does not happen again.”

After all, who can be happier than a kid getting a bike for Christmas—or sadder than a kid who’s had it snatched away from them?

Bike Falls Off Car On Way To Ride For Fallen Officers

As cyclists, there are things we fear happening to ourselves and our bikes.

As for what can happen to ourselves, the dire scenarios almost always involve crashes and injuries.  Perhaps the biggest fear for anyone who rides in traffic--as I, a city dweller, do almost daily--is getting "doored."  It's happened to me three times--once when I was riding in a bike lane, and the worst incident two years ago, which resulted in 30 stitches.

Then there is the fear of what can happen to our bikes.  Some scenarios, like crashes, can damage or destroy both our bodies and bikes.  But when it comes to what can befall the bicycle, theft might be the primary concern for many cyclists.

Another nightmare scenario has less chance of happening to me because I don't drive.  But, on those occasions when I've gone to a ride with someone who does, I worry when my bike is attached to a rack, no matter how solid.   Bumper racks expose bikes to more harm because, well, another car bumping the bikes instead of the bumper will have more dire consequences for the bikes than the bumper.  But even on the best roof racks, there is a chance of something knocking the bike off.

I don't know which kind of rack Dara Gannon was using when she drove to a three-day training ride.  She was preparing for a Massacusetts-to-Washington DC ride that honors police officers killed in the line of duty, one of whom was her husband.  

The Yarmouth, Massachusetts resident saw her white Specialized road bike with "Gannon" stickers on it fly off her car.  As if that weren't bad enough, when she turned around to retrieve it, it was gone.

Dara Gannon with her bike.

Not surprisingly, the police in her Cape Cod community have taken interest in her case.  She and they hope that whoever "found" the bicycle will return it, as it means more than just a pair of wheels and pedals to her:  She has used it for other rides like the one for which she was training.

Anyone with information about her bike can call Chief Frederickson at 508-775-0445, ext. 2156, or e-mail him at ffrederickson@yarmouth.ma.us. 

Girl Wins Bike As Mother Loses Hers

It'll cost $1000 to replace her mother's bike.  I just hope she doesn't have to spend that much, or more, for therapy.

On Wendnesday, seven-year-old Nayaraq Alvarez was returning home with her father, Carlos--and her new bicycle.  It was a prize for a poster she made as part of an anti-bullying campaign sponsored by the Miami Beach Police Department. 

When they arrived, they saw a suspicious-looking man running from their apartment building.  They then discovered that thieves had broken in and stolen her mother's Cannondale Quick 4 bicycle.  "It's a shame because we have lots of good memories with it," Carlos said.  Though he plans to help her "look for a new one", he hopes "someone can find it for us."



Surveillance footage provided clear footage of a man with a backpack entering and leaving the building several times.  During one of those trips, he is seen wheeling the bike out.  

That Cannondale, like the bikes of many other residents in that building, had been in a storage room.  Since then, other residents have moved their bikes into their apartments.  Not surprisingly, Nayaraq's new bike is in her family's living quarters.  

Several other Miami Beach residents have reported their bikes stolen during the past couple of weeks.  Although the thief who took Nayraq's mother's bike may have been involved in one or more of those thefts, no one is saying that it's definitely the case.  But Mr. Alvarez is not only concerned with bike theft.  "He's carrying a big backpack, so what else does he have in there?" he wondered.  "[I]t could be a potentially dangerous situation for everybody," he says.

Hopefully, young Nayaraq won't have nearly as  much baggage from the incident.