Video: Irish cyclist recovers stolen bike after six-minute chase

An Irish bike shop owner who spotted a man with bolt cutters stealing a bike rode after the thief for six minutes before eventually confronting him and recovering it.

Asked whether he was scared to challenge the man, Jozef 'Joe' Dobias answered: “I’m a cyclist. I get into life threatening situations on a daily basis courtesy of bad drivers and shoddy infrastructure."

Dobias, who runs Dublin Loves Bikes in Dun Laoghaire, told Dublin Live: "We have a cat in the store called Gizmo – he is loved by many customers – and I had to go buy him some food.

"On the way back via Georges Street I noticed a guy with large snips prepping a cable lock at the bike stand just beside the hospital and Tesco here in Dun Laoghaire.

"As I passed him I could hear the snap – you can hear it in the video. I turned around to check him out. He was already on his way so I followed."

The somewhat low octane pursuit continued for several minutes.

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"The thief stopped at the old library. I stopped further down. He was putting lights on the bike and he was also wearing a helmet. Good man.

"He comes to the Monkstown Dart station where I can see him throw away the cut lock into hedges. At this moment I am sure this is a case of theft so I decide to stop him boarding the train."

Towards the end of the video, when the thief is challenged, he denies stealing the bike, saying: “You didn't see fucking nothing.”

Dobias points out that not only did he see him, he also has the incident on film. The thief then ditches the bike – a Giant Liv Alight, described as being "in very good condition" – and leaves.

Dobias took the bike back to his shop. Police later came and collected it and it has since been reunited with its owner.

No word yet on whether the thief has been tracked down.