After cancer charity ride, cyclists' bikes stolen
PORTLAND, Ore. - Imagine biking across the country for a good cause only to have that good deed punished by a callous thief. That's what happened to two college students who spent their summer raising money for cancer patients.
But Zach Boyer and Chey Hilsgrove are not taking it lying down.
Through Skype, Boyer spoke about being on top of the world after cycling from coast to coast.
"It's really emotional, it definitely gives you a push to go up the mountain every day," he said Wednesday as he headed home to Massachusetts for college.
Boyer pedaled from Maryland to Portland in 70 days for "4k for Cancer."
"We help raise money for young adults affected by cancer by giving them scholarships to go to school and help them through their treatment," Boyer said.
But after the race ended over the weekend, things took a horrible turn. After Boyer and his friends finished the event in Portland, they went up to the Seattle area to stay at a friend's house. It was there Boyer and Hilsgrove locked their bikes on a roof rack on top of a car, and it was from there they were stolen.
Both bikes, Felt Z-100s, were worth $850 each.
"It really ticked me off because we just finished a cross-country bike ride for cancer, and we wake up in the morning after meeting up with some friends and going out in the town, coming to find out our bikes were stolen," Boyer said.
Boyer said he believes whoever did it knew who they were stealing from.
"It was on the top of a van that clearly had, it was a cancer van: it says '70 days, four thousand miles, one fight.'"
Boyer has set up a Facebook page for tips, and he's checking the usual spots where stolen stuff turns up.
"We've also been monitoring Craigslist, because a majority of the time they're just looking to make money," he said.
Despite the theft, the cross-country ride raised nearly half a million dollars for 4K for Cancer.
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a good deed goes unpunished
Thank you Joe for a great story! FYI - if the bikes are found we have volunteers in the area who will pick them up and ship them back to us on the east coast, it will be of no cost to anyone who locates them. And thank you to everyone who is helping out and sending well wishes!
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Cancer takes all sorts of forms. Portland suffers from many different types including rampant theft.  Sorry that your good deed ended with this loss, but I'm sure folks will rally behind you and get you new equipment. As for the thieves, they are trapped in a lifestyle that will never yield peace or hope. They are to be pitied and locked up.
Welcome to Portland, Oregon -- the most bicycle-friendly city in the nation! /sarcasm off/
@Gravity Works! The bicycles were stolen in Seattle
@I812 ......and you have been in the travel business how long?
 @I812  @Gravity Okay, then . . . sarcasm mode was never turned on.  Seattle appears to suck bicycles into a black hole while Portland upholds the virtue continuing to worship the mode of transportation.  Does that work for ya? {;-)
@Robert G I am not mad at any bike riders and have been one myself from time to time. I just think the city's priorities are misplaced. Of course if all users of the road, bicyclists and motorists, would pay attention, obey the law, and respect each other they probably could co-exist in many places without conflict.
@I812@GravityJust to note these bike riders you seem to be mad at also commonly pay these road taxes too and are all for improved street surfaces; do you know how much more difficult it is to ride a bike on a crap road versus drive a car on it? Almost anytime the city adds in a bike lane they improve the surrounding road surfaces as well because what makes your car bump up and down can take a biker out.
@Gravity Works! Exercise is good. Getting exercise by jumping to conclusions? Not so much. It always helps to read the article before commenting.
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Just so you know, I don't support Portland's policies of taking money away from those who pay it for purposes other than what the money was collected for. IMO it is just wrong to be dumping millions into bike paths/lanes while the streets are falling apart.