Thieves rip off more than $100,000 of Lance Armstrong’s bikes

Two individuals are facing allegations of pilfering cycling equipment exceeding $100,000 in value from the possessions of former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong in Austin. According to a report in the Austin American Statesmen, Ethan Harms, 33, and Shaun Thompson, 36, broke into a storage locker on the morning of Dec. 10, making off with six bicycles throughout the day. The combined value of the stolen bicycles is estimated at $105,800.

Appraising the stolen goods

Dave Bolch, Armstrong’s long-serving executive assistant, and Jeffrey Rosenburg, CEO of Tristar Productions—a Houston-based sports memorabilia trader–determined the values of the six stolen bicycles. The range of stolen items included a $500 bike frame to a decade-old bike personally used by Armstrong in road races and triathlons, valued at $50,000.

The accused duo has prior connections to other burglary incidents, including at least one involving a different storage unit, as indicated in the affidavits. Both individuals face charges of third-degree felonies, carrying a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. According to the Austin police, they had successfully recovered three out of the six stolen bicycles so far.

I watched episode 2 of ‘Stars on Mars’ because I hate myself

Armstrong, if you just got back from Jupiter, was a former pro cyclist who won 7 Tours de France, only to have them rescinded after confessing to doping for most of his career. He recently starred on an awful reality television show too, called Stars On Mars. (Just terrible. I watched every episode.)

Lots of thefts of expensive bikes

He isn’t the only high-profile cyclist to have had bikes ripped off in the past few years. In 2021, Tejay van Garderen’s special Tour de France bike was stolen. So too was Geraint Thomas’s. The Italian national team had their Pinarello track bikes ripped off as well. In November, criminals stole nearly $400,000 of Pinarello bikes in a robbery from the company’s headquarters. It wasn’t a one-time job either–they broke in twice in the same day.