2 modified bikes stolen from Edmonton Paralympian in garage break-in

Edmonton police are asking the public to be on the lookout for two modified bikes that were stolen from a local Paralympic athlete.

Over the weekend, police were called to a break and enter at a residence in the area of 77 Avenue and 111 Street. Police said thieves broke into a detached garage and stole two customized bikes.

Those bikes belong to Edmonton Paralympian Amanda Rummery, who uses the bikes for training and competition.

Both bikes have one handlebar cut off; Rummery had her arm amputated when she was 18 following an ATV accident, according to police.

“Living with a physical disability has its challenges, and these bikes were modified to make bike riding easy and accessible for me,” Rummery said in a police media release Tuesday.

“Adapting to riding a bike with one arm was certainly difficult, though these bikes brought me independence and are very special to me.”

The athlete also took to Facebook to get the word out about her stolen bikes. Her social media post had been shared more than 200 times by Tuesday morning.

One of the bikes is a black-coloured Cannondale and the other is a red Schwinn. They were both stolen sometime between late Friday evening and early Saturday morning, according to police.

Rummery is a Canadian record holder in the 100-metre, 200-metre and 400-metre Paralympic track events. She hopes to represent Canada at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Anyone with information about the stolen bikes is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.