Trek back on track after bike stolen

WINNIPEG — A man whose cycling trip across Canada came to a halt in Winnipeg — when his bike was stolen — can resume his bucket-list journey after help from local cyclists.

Fergus Watt, 69, has always wanted to bike across the country, and now that he’s retired, he decided to start pushing pedals toward his goal. However, on Tuesday afternoon his bike — a Norco Search C-Apex-AXS, specially purchased for the trip — was stolen from outside Mountain Equipment Co-op on Portage Avenue.

“You just feel a bit gutted,” said Watt, who lives in Ottawa. “The first thing I said to myself was ‘I’m so screwed,’ but I used a different word.”

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.

“It’s not a good feeling when your bike is your main mode of transportation,” he said.

Watt acknowledges he made a mistake by not taking the bike inside, but said he’s 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.

Watt said he secured a loaner bike from a member of the Winnipeg cycling community.

“That’s the heartwarming part,” he said. “It’s not just cyclists, it’s people generally in Winnipeg.”

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.

“It was horrible,” she said.

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 “really sad and embarrassed” bike theft is so rampant in Winnipeg.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “How could there be that much need for bikes?”

Matthew Schween, who provided the loaner bike, said he doesn’t know Watt, but he’s a friend of someone who does.

He wanted to help Watt achieve his goal.

“I’m a pretty adventurous, outgoing person myself, and I love to dream big,” he said. “I guess his mission inspired me.”

He said the bike was gathering dust in his basement and he was glad to lend a hand.

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.

“People are sympathetic to the situation,” Watt said. “It’s a bit of a good news, bad news saga of life in Winnipeg.”

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 “formidable part of the ride.”

Since 2017, the number of bike thefts have dropped 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.

» Winnipeg Free Press