\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"SUPPLIED](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4383787_web1_Fergus-1.jpeg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
SUPPLIED<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fergus Watt, 69, with his Norco Search C-Apex-AXS which he was using to travel across the country and was recently stolen in Winnipeg. A member of the Winnipeg cycling community has since come forward and loaned him a bike to ensure he can continue his bucket-list quest.<\/p>\n
Watt said the theft was quick. He went into the store, remembered he had left his phone mounted on the bike, and went outside. However, by the time he returned, all that remained was the cut lock and his helmet. He also had his passport and phone stolen, as they were on his bike. The total cost of the theft is about $6,000. On the plus side, his clothing and camping gear are safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a good feeling when your bike is your main mode of transportation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Watt acknowledges he made a mistake by not taking the bike inside, but said he\u2019s thankful for help from the store staff, who let him use their phone and computer, and the Winnipeg Police Service, which he said is trying to retrieve the bike.<\/p>\n
Watt said he secured a loaner bike from a member of the Winnipeg cycling community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the heartwarming part,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just cyclists, it\u2019s people generally in Winnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n
His wife, Michele Chadwick, 61, said she feared the worst when she got a call from her husband, saying at first she thought someone had died.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was horrible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
While she was relieved that it was only a stolen bike, she said the theft resonated strongly online with many in the cycling community. She posted about the theft online and hundreds of people interacted with the post, saying many were \u201creally sad and embarrassed\u201d bike theft is so rampant in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s crazy,\u201d she said. \u201cHow could there be that much need for bikes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew Schween, who provided the loaner bike, said he doesn\u2019t know Watt, but he\u2019s a friend of someone who does.<\/p>\n
He wanted to help Watt achieve his goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a pretty adventurous, outgoing person myself, and I love to dream big,\u201d he said. \u201cI guess his mission inspired me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the bike was gathering dust in his basement and he was glad to lend a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just psyched that he\u2019s able to get back on the road sooner and later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schween took Watt to a sporting gear store where he used to work, and Watt was offered a discount to replace some of the gear that was stolen.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are sympathetic to the situation,\u201d Watt said. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a good news, bad news saga of life in Winnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has lost a few days owing to the theft and has only until the end of July to conclude the ride to the East Coast through northern Ontario, which he called the most \u201cformidable part of the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2017, bike thefts have been trending downward according to data from Winnipeg police. In total, 1,349 thefts were reported in 2025, a drop of more than 39 per cent compared to the 2,212 logged in 2017.<\/p>\n
Anyone with information about the stolen bicycle is asked to contact Winnipeg police or Crime Stoppers to report the information anonymously.<\/p>\n
morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n