Round-world bike stolen from home

A cyclist pedalled 5,000 miles across the world - only to have his bike stolen when he got back home to Barnsley. Lee Simmons’ bike survived bandits and being left unlocked in slums. But it was taken by thieves who broke into his dad’s garage back home in South Yorkshire.

Lee, 39, said: “In some places me and my bike have been, there have been bandits and some really dodgy people but I never had a problem. In some areas my bike was worth more than some people’s houses but nobody thought to steal it. Most of the time I never locked it up and I always felt it was safe.”



Former Royal Navy sailor Lee got the Cannondale M800 in Hong Kong after a three-year backpacking trip. He rode it across Asia for two years before flying home from Greece. He said: “I rode down through Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in the hope of travelling over to Australia where I could spend some time and earn some money.

In Calcutta some of the poverty was shocking but nobody tried to take anything from me. “They were just interested in why I was riding a bike which was probably worth more than their yearly wage. I am so disappointed I got all that way and the bike gets stolen in my home town by someone who hasn’t got a clue what it means to me.”