Police make two arrests in theft of cross-country fundraising cyclists’ bikes

On June 22, Thomas Clark and Valentin Duquenne set out to cycle across Canada to raise money for men’s mental health. Along the way, they lost four bikes to thieves in two cities — first in Winnipeg, then in Calgary.

Just over a month after their first bikes were stolen in Winnipeg, police have arrested two men for the theft.

The bicycles, valued at about $15,000, were stolen July 24 from a vehicle parked near CBC headquarters while Clark and Duquenne were inside for a media interview.

The Winnipeg Police Service said one of the bikes was recovered Aug. 7 after officers spotted a 60-year-old man riding it in the 1800 block of Bannatyne Avenue West. He was arrested and charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 before being released on an appearance notice. The bicycle was returned to its owner.

Investigators later identified a suspect in the theft and learned the bicycles had been traded to the 60-year-old man and another unidentified male.

On Aug. 23, officers with the Central District Community Support Unit arrested 42-year-old Kuol Thomas Madit at the intersection of Notre Dame Avenue and Balmoral Street as part of the WPS crackdown on open drug use. Police said officers seized a small amount of methamphetamine during the arrest.

Madit has been charged with two counts of theft over $5,000, trafficking in property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of fentanyl and failing to comply with probation. He was detained in custody. Madit has no prior criminal convictions.

The second bike has not been recovered.

Clark and Duquenne, friends from Moncton, N.B., began their Men Don’t Ride Alone charity trek in June with plans to cycle more than 6,000 kilometres across Canada and raise $250,000 for men’s mental-health initiatives through Movember Canada.

They completed the journey in Victoria on Aug. 11, falling well short of their target by raising just under $16,000.

Duquenne said the idea for the ride came after he sought help for substance-abuse and mental-health issues last September.

The pair had never been to Winnipeg before their bikes were stolen.

“When I walked out, Tom started running towards the car and then I saw the bikes were gone. We were pretty speechless,” Duquenne told the Free Press after the theft.

The Trek and Cannondale bikes were locked to a rack on the back of the pair’s support vehicle when the thief cut through the lock.

The men were temporarily stranded in Winnipeg, but their story quickly drew attention. An online fundraising page was set up to cover the cost of new bikes, and more than $15,000 had been raised within a few hours. Canadian Tire stepped in to help them get back on the road, donating just shy of $9,000.

Less than a month later, their replacement bikes were taken in Calgary.

They had already completed their cross-country journey and flown home to Moncton when the replacement cycles were stolen from a vehicle parked at a Calgary hotel. The bikes were being driven back to New Brunswick.

According to Clark in a social-media post, the bikes had been triple-locked to the back of the vehicle while the driver slept inside the hotel. The hitch itself was stolen, taking the bike rack and bicycles with it.

Calgary police are investigating that theft.

Winnipeg police estimate about 3,000 bikes are stolen in the city each year. The service encourages cyclists to register their bikes with Project 529, a bicycle-registration program, to improve the chances of recovery if they are stolen.

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca