Jacky Chen, round-the-world cyclist, reunited with bike stolen in Vancouver
Vancouver Police return bike to Taiwanese cyclist after a call from a CBC reporter
A Taiwanese man cycling round the world has been reunited with his bike, which was stolen in Vancouver, after a CBC reporter made enquiries with police.
Jacky Chen was 5,000 kilometres into his trip when his bike was stolen from a backyard at Oak Street and 16th Avenue, where it was chained up overnight last Thursday.
Chen, 37, reported it missing on Friday, but to no avail — until Thursday, when CBC reporter Belle Puri called Vancouver police for response to Chen's story.
Officers realized they had stopped a 24-year-old man riding the same bike last Friday night. They had seized the bike, but had been unable to identify it as Chen's because he hadn't provided them with a serial number.
After the connection was made, Chen was overjoyed to retrieve his bike. His pannier racks are gone and his tire is flat, but over all, he says, it's all good.
"It's just like my partner, a portion of my trip. So, many thanks."
Chen has been cycling round the world since June, when he left his job as an electrical engineer in Taiwan and started his pedalling trek in Anchorage.
Inspired by the writings of a Japanese man who cycled the globe Chen says his trip has been three years in the making. His goal is to show his friends who can't travel, the world through Facebook.
"I hope I could visit over 100 countries," said Chen. "I always update what I see, the view and the people I meet and anything I experience."
Chen expects to finish his journey in three to five years.
