UPDATE: Calgary paracyclist’s stolen $10K bike returned – ‘I’m just so fortunate’
Kas Duong was gearing up for a ride on Monday but unlike every other day, when she returned to her garage after quickly running inside, she says her customized bike had been stolen.
Duong’s basic-frame red trike might look like any other trike at first glance, but the bike has been customized for the paracyclist’s needs. Duong suffered a stroke at age seven, causing her to have limited mobility on her right side.
Her trike, which she’s ridden and trained on for three years, has a special kit attaching the two wheels on the back and has all the gearing on the left-hand side of the handle bars.
“It helps me balance when I ride,” Duong said Tuesday. “It was adapted for me, modified for me.”
The stolen trike — worth about $10,000 — was Duong’s only bike, leaving her unable to train just weeks ahead of a national cycling competition. She was set to ride in the Canadian National Championships in Quebec on Aug. 16 and 17.
If she does well in that competition, she could proceed to the World Cup. Once cyclists get their ranking up at the world championships, Duong said, it could lead them all the way to the Paralympic Games — which is her goal.
“I feel like I’m being set back,” Duong said. “I feel like all the training that I’ve done up to this point is pretty much useless; it doesn’t really matter.”
Duong said even if she got a new bike right away, it’s unlikely she’d be able to compete in a month’s time. Any new bike would take time to get used to and the special kit would have to be brought in from the U.K.
“The bike has to be perfect for me in order for me to perform well.”
Thief also stole her passion
The theft of Duong’s bike has not only meant a training and competition set-back — whoever took the bike also took away her passion.
Duong first started cycling about three years ago when she rode in the Ride to Conquer Cancer in honour of her father, and in support of her aunt, who was fighting brain cancer at the time.
“I never thought any physical activity would work for me,” she said.
“After that I just fell in love with cycling. I had no intention of competing or even thought to compete, but ever since I did that ride, I just fell in love with riding.
“Now I’m competing on an international level.”
Duong said when she realized someone had stolen the bike, her “mind just went blank.”
“My first thought is, ‘How could somebody do this?’ There is no need and no value to anybody else but me. So my initial thought was, ‘Why would they even think to take something like this?
“I’m not sure if anybody hopped on to ride, if they could even ride it.”
‘Please give it back’
She called the Calgary Police Service (CPS) to report the theft and was directed to file a report online, which is common for crimes of this kind, according to the CPS.
CPS said Tuesday afternoon they received Duong’s report and are investigating A spokesperson said they hope to send an officer to her home as soon as possible to gather more information.
She said she’s been checking online sale sites like Kijiji to see if someone is trying to resell her bike, but nothing has turned up.
Duong said who took it and why isn’t important to her, she just wants her special bike back.
“Please bring it back, please give it back,” Duong said. “I really don’t need to know why they took it, nor do I really care what the purpose of taking it is. I just want it back.”
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