Lance Armstrong Has Bike Stolen, Tweets About It

Lance Armstrong may be racing in the Amgen Tour of California, but he kicked off his morning like many of us: drinking some coffee, checking some email and watching ESPN in the background. How do I know this? Because the guy's on Twitter and he told me so.

Unfortunately, the quiet calm of his Sunday morning was soon interrupted: "Whoa!! They just came to my room and said our truck was broken into and someone stole my time trial bike! Wtf?!? APB out to the twitterati."

It's true -- the thieves not only swiped Armstrong's bike but also three belonging to his teammates. What the thieves may not have realized is that Armstrong's bike is one of a kind, a custom-made cycle easily recognized by cycling aficionados of the sport. Armstrong posted a picture of the bike on Twitter along with news of a reward, so it should be next to impossible for thieves to unload it without getting caught.

The only silver lining, I suppose, is that Armstrong completed the time trial portion of the race on Saturday, hours before the thieves took his bike. Cyclists generally use a more aerodynamic bike during time trials since they're not able to draft behind teammates, so when the first stage of the race (a 107-mile jaunt from Davis to Santa Rosa) kicked off this afternoon, Armstrong was back on his regular road bike.

Lance Armstrong

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Lance Armstrong of USA, riding for Astana, competes in the Prologue of the AMGEN Tour of California on February 14, 2009 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lance Armstrong

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SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Levi Leipheimer (L) of the USA and riding for Astana earned the Points Leader jersey with his second place finish takes the podium with teammate Lance Armstrong (R) of the USA who was awarded the Most Courageous Rider jersey after his 10th place finish in the Prologue of the AMGEN Tour of California on February 14, 2009 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lance Armstrong;Levi Leipheimer

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SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Lance Armstrong (R) of the USA and riding for Astana was awarded the Most Courageous Rider jersey and is congratulated by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after his 10th place finish in the Prologue of the AMGEN Tour of California on February 14, 2009 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lance Armstrong;Arnold Schwarzenegger

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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (L) and Astana cyclist Lance Armstrong smile at the prologue of the Amgen Tour of California in Sacramento, California February 14, 2009. Saxo Bank cyclist Fabian Cancellara won the prologue, and is the race leader of the 750-mile (1,207-km), nine-day stage race. REUTERS/Max Whittaker (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Lance Armstrong of team Asanta hits the first curve on Stage one of the Amgen Tour of California on Saturday, February 14, 2009, in Sacramento. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./Sacramento Bee/MCT)

MCT

Astana cyclist Lance Armstrong races the prologue of the Amgen Tour of California in Sacramento, California February 14, 2009. Saxo Bank cyclist Fabian Cancellara won the prologue, and is the race leader of the 750-mile (1,207-km), nine-day stage race. REUTERS/Max Whittaker (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Lance Armstrong stands on the awards platform after being presented with an honorary jersey at the Amgen Tour of California prolouge cycle race in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

Lance Armstrong, right, is greeted onstage by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after the Amgen Tour of California prolouge cycle race in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Lance Armstrong of USA, riding for Astana, signs autographs for fans after competing in the Prologue of the AMGEN Tour of California on February 14, 2009 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lance Armstrong

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