Australian gets stolen mountain bike back after harrowing night on Trans-Canada highway

A mountain bike stolen off the back of a car stranded on Highway 1 with a flat tire was recovered and returned Tuesday to an Australian woman who was stranded for over 5 hours on the Trans-Canada Highway Friday night.

An Australian woman who was stranded with a flat tire last Friday night on the Trans-Canada Highway and had her cobalt blue Juliana Furtado mountain bike stolen got her bike back Tuesday -- in a new colour.

Katie Hesketh, who was stranded on Highway 1 near Smitty’s Family Restaurant in Mini Thni, said she was grateful for the efforts of the Morley and Cochrane RCMP who were able to locate the bicycle and match the serial number to her missing bike.

“Unfortunately, they have spray-painted it black,” Hesketh wrote in an email to CTV News, “but we have received the bike and that is more than anything that we could ask for.

“We’re just grateful for the community and everyone that was involved to bring back the bike, especially the police located in Morley and Cochrane that were involved.”

Hesketh was driving into the mountains to meet a friend Friday night around 7:30 p.m. when she blew out a tire, leading to the theft of the bike when two different men walked up to her stranded vehicle and asked her for money.

Hesketh gave the first man two power bars after he’d also asked for water and then, when the second man turned down an offer of an e-transfer, he took out a knife and cut loose Hesketh’s mountain bike and drove off on it.

The RCMP, which was aware of the incident, was nearby searching for Hesketh at the time, but couldn’t locate her in time to prevent the theft.

Instead, they waited with Hesketh for a Calgary tire repair company to return with a repaired tire so that she could continue her trip.

Numerous CTV News readers wrote in about the story, many of them offering Hesketh financial and emotional support.

“So much kindness from everyone,” Hesketh said. She said she’s had to take some days off due to the harrowing events of Friday night, and has taken the bike to the Bow Valley Bike Shop to check it out, with plans to possibly have it painted a new colour.

“It feels a bit traumatizing looking at (it),” she said. “It makes me want to cry thinking about how many people care. It’s just so kind.”

On Tuesday, RCMP issued a news release saying the stolen bicycle had been recovered.

“RCMP attended and confirmed that the serial number on the recovered bicycle matched the serial number of the stolen bicycle,” RCMP said.

Mounties said they have contacted the owner to provide them with an update.

“No charges have been laid at this time and the investigation is ongoing.”