LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A man in Lakewood is asking Denver7 viewers for help after his handcycle was stolen on Monday in broad daylight.
Jim Stockbridge said the thief (or thieves) cut through cables that attached the handcycle to the roof of his car.
“It’s almost like a personal assault,” he said. “Bicycles are different than a lot of other things in the sense that everybody customizes their bike.”
Stockbridge, 73, is an “incomplete quadriplegic,” meaning he has lost most movement in his legs and his right arm. His injuries are the result of a diving accident in his early twenties, and in the decades since, cycling has become his key physical outlet to stay active.
“I broke my neck at 22, and that changes everything — and then it’s a matter of trying to find out things you can still do,” Stockbridge recalled. “And, I could still bike.”
Stockbridge has used several different bikes and cycles throughout his life, but last year, he made an investment in himself in the form of a customized handcycle, built to his body and needs. The handcycle, with its customizations, cost him around $6,500, but has made a huge difference in his performance.
For months now, Stockbridge has been training for his return to the RAGBRAI, a 500-mile bike ride across the entire state of Iowa. The event allows him to benchmark his physical capability and “mental toughness,” he said, and the handcycle promised to make it more attainable.
“I had just spent a month trying to get it customized so that it would work for me with my particular disability,” he explained. “And, I was really looking forward to riding the bike.”
Stockbridge has filed a report with the Lakewood Police Department, but is hoping that someone who sees this story may have noticed his handcycle Monday afternoon and have an idea where it may be. He also hopes, by some chance, the person or people who took his bike see this story and have a change of heart.
“It’s a unique bike, and it’s not functional to almost anybody else. So I’d appreciate it if they could return it,” he said. “It would be a great favor to me. It’d save me a lot of hassle.”
The RAGBRAI ride across Iowa is July 22 to July 29, giving Stockbridge just over a month to find his handcycle or find another option.
Anyone with information about the handcycle is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
