Thief 'borrows' bike - to take part in Cambridge World Naked Bike Ride

A Cambridge resident returned to where he had parked his bike earlier this month only to find a note saying that someone had taken it to participate in the World Naked Bike Ride.

The bike, brown in colour, had been locked up by its owner close to the city’s Jesus Green last week, reports Cambridge News.

But on Saturday 16 June they discovered that the lock had been broken and the bike taken by someone who wanted to take part in that afternoon’s World Naked Bike Ride

A note left by a friend of the borrower revealed that the person had been too hungover to take part in the ride, which protests against car culture and oil dependency while highlighting the fragility of the human body.

The note, a photo of which was posted to Facebook, said:

Dear bike owner, My friend apologies (sic) for taking your bike last night. He was very tired and wanted to join the naked bike ride today but doesn't own a bike!

Thank you for lending yours, don't worry though he was too hungover to take part.

Yours, Your friendly neighbourhood bike borrower.

p.s. nobody can break a D-lock.

A friend of the bike’s owner said: “He was panicked at first that the bike was gone but relieved that they returned it. They returned it the next day.

“They also brought it back to the same place. Don't think he has any negative feelings towards the ‘borrowers’."

"He is just glad that they returned it and also did not use it for the naked bike ride," he added.

"He now has bought a D-lock.”

The owner himself said: "After taking the bike they could have left it anywhere or even made a bit of money.

"So I was glad for the bike and the cheeky note.”

He said he was “glad they put it back with the lock and nothing missing the following day because I use my bike all the time here.

"I made sure to buy a better lock straight away."

He said he was relieved the borrower had been too hungover to take part in the World Naked Bike Ride, saying he would have had to “burn the bike” had it been used in the event.

He added: "If they actually had used it for the naked bike ride I just wish they disinfected [it] and did not mention it in the note."

Video of the ride on Cambridge News shows that some participants on the ride used yellow Ofo dockless hire bikes, a regular feature on the city’s streets since their introduction last year.