Adelaide cyclist Chris Harper’s new bike stolen from under his nose just weeks after turning pro
Chris Harper was sitting outside a cafe in Mitcham when his new team-issued bike was stolen from under his nose. Now, he has to call his new WorldTour team and give them the bad news - and somehow prepare for the national championships.
Cycling
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Adelaide cyclist Chris Harper was preparing to call his new boss in The Netherlands last night to say the new bike the team had just sent him had been stolen from right under his nose.
The 25-year-old who has signed his first professional contract with Dutch WorldTour team Jumbo-Visma for next season was sitting outside ‘Yeah Nah, Yeah’ cafe in Mitcham when his bike was stolen this morning.
He’d just done a three-hour training ride with fellow top level rider Cam Bayly and was on his way home when the thief struck and left him stranded on Belair Road about 11.15am.
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The frame alone of the Bianchi Oltre XR4 is worth $5000 but with full components and power meter would have nudged $10,000 and the thief even took his sweaty helmet and sunglasses as well.
“You hear of bikes being stolen when people have gone into a cafe to sit down but I was five metres away from my bike and looking at it the whole time,” Harper said.
“I was sitting with Cam and some people came out of the cafe and stood in front of me for a minute and when they moved I realised the bike wasn’t there anymore.
“At fist I thought someone might have moved it out of the way if they were delivering something and needed the path free but Cam and I both jumped up and looked for it but it was gone.”
Harper reported the theft to police and late Saturday was speaking with nearby businesses about accessing CCTV footage of the area.
He said it would be difficult to sell the bike because it was permanently branded with Team Jumbo-Visma logos which showed it was a team-issued machine.
Harper is preparing for the national championships in Ballarat early next month and doesn’t know what he will do without his road bike.
The talented climber has finished on the podium of the national championships for the past two years in a row and this year won the Tour of Japan and French race Le Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc which helped him land a WorldTour contract.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure what I’l do yet, Cam has a road bike which he has offered to lend me,” he said.
“I do have my time trial bike so maybe I’ll ride that for a few days and hopefully it (road bike) turns up.
“Otherwise I’ll have to borrow one until I work something out with the team.
“The team service course is in The Netherlands so not the quickest spot for a bike to come from, especially at this time of year.
“It’s still early morning there so I haven’t contacted them yet, not that there’s anything I can do about it, it’s just frustrating.”
Harper has asked if anyone sees his bike or knows of its whereabouts to contact him via social media on Twitter @chrisharper94.
reece.homfray@news.com.au