Manitoba Cycling Association’s stolen team van located 1.5 years later

In the spring of 2022, a trailer belonging to a group of young cyclists visiting from Manitoba was stolen, along with all of their equipment, in Penticton. Recently, there has been a surprising development as the pilfered trailer has resurfaced in the South Okanagan.

The unfortunate incident unfolded at the end of March 2022 when the cycling team made a brutal discovery. The hitch lock, securing the trailer to their U-Haul truck, had been cut, and the entire trailer was gone. There were also many bikes and gear inside as well.

A discovery of a broken hitch

Mary Prendergast, the coach of the MCA, securely stored the team’s equipment in a trailer, attaching it to a truck parked outside a hotel in Penticton, B.C. On Thursday morning, around 6:30 a.m., Prendergast exited her hotel room only to realize that something was amiss.

“I walked closer to where our truck was and saw the two broken locks,” she said to The Winnipeg Free Press.

Despite the trailer being equipped with a tracking device, the signal was lost shortly after the theft.

Gears and bikes gone

The theft included 18 bikes, 30 bags of luggage, three tool boxes, bike stands, an air compressor, a pressure washer, several sets of spare wheels, as well as helmets and clothing.

The incident was reported to the RCMP, and the news was shared on social media.

News of trailer spotted

A glimmer of hope emerged when four of the bikes were unexpectedly recovered in Summerland B.C.

In early November, a reader of the Kelowna-based site, Castanet shared information about discovering a trailer bearing a resemblance to the stolen one. It had most paint scraped off, and was found abandoned. The good Samaritan, suspecting that the trailer to be stolen, contacted the RCMP.

Empty trailer

Upon recovery, the van was nearly bare, containing only a handful of vacant bags and a couple of helmets. Regrettably, 13 of the group’s bicycles remained unaccounted for. As well, a considerable inventory of athletes’ personal belongings and other MCA equipment is gone.

“Unfortunately the property from within it is still outstanding. The trailer was located empty,”  RCMP Cst. Kelly Brett said.