Happy Thanksgiving for US cyclist reunited with $5k bike – before he knew it had been stolen

A cyclist in Florida had extra reason to be thankful last Thursday as fellow riders took time out of their Thanksgiving holiday to recover his stolen bike – before he had even realised it had been taken.

Mike Braylark was eating his Thanksgiving dinner unaware that his Cannondale bike, complete with Easton wheels, had been taken from his garage, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

The bike was spotted by Tommy Davidson, like Braylark a triathlete, who became suspicious because the man riding it was dressed in ordinary clothes.

Davidson, who was heading to dinner at the Ruth's Chris Steak House, posted a picture to the St Pete Cycling Facebook group, saying, "I helped a guy today with his bike. It seemed odd for him to be riding a triathlon bike.

"When asked about triathlons he stated it was a friend's. Strange feeling it was stolen. I am not profiling but it seemed odd to me,"

The consensus from other members was he was correct, but Davidson thought he had lost the suspected thief – until the man turned up with it at the same restaurant.

"He showed up at Ruth's Chris. He came in to get a glass of water."

He spoke to the man, who said he was heading to Sulphur Springs. Davidson pointed out the wheels couldn’t cope with the terrain, and suggested giving him a lift after dinner.

Again, the man seemed to have disappeared, but Davidson later spotted him in a nearby branch of Starbucks.

The pair drove off, and on their journey Davidson took a call from Mike Weimar, owner of a local bike shop, who had seen his Facebook post and recognised the bike immediately – as well knowing who it belonged to.

Weimar explained: "A year ago, he had that bike rebuilt from scratch … including repainting it. That was what tipped me off."

He agreed to meet Davidson at the Tampa Greyhound Track to have a proper look at the bike, and his suspicions confirmed, Weimar offered the man $221 for it, saying he wanted to buy it for a friend.

Braylark was oblivious throughout to the amateur sleuthing.

"As far as I knew, my bike was in my garage," he said. "Thoughts started to spin in my head. Did I leave my garage open? . . . I had to go home and check."

His fears confirmed, he called the police, and subsequently received a call from Davidson, who had dropped off the suspected thief and was bringing the bike round.

"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it," Braylark said. "The events were so unreal. You couldn't have made that up."

He has reimbursed Davidson for the money spent to reacquire the bike, but says he is disappointed the man was not arrested.

Davidson added: "It literally transpired in four hours, from seeing someone on the side of the road to having the bicycle back in the owner's house.

"Apparently, that's the power of Facebook."