An Idaho City man noticed something not all to peculiar at Lucky Peak reservoir recently – two bicycles by the side of a trail. When the man returned a week later and the bikes were still there, he decided to investigate.
One of the frames was tagged with a Boise State registration sticker so the man called the university to track down its owner.
“We were able to look up the owner of the registered bike and schedule a time to return it,” said Stephen Ritter, Boise State’s bicycle facilities supervisor. “The bike had been stolen but the owner decided not to report it so no one was looking for it.”
Ritter says it’s important for campus users to register their bikes and to file a police report if the bike should be stolen.
“It really helps with the recovery process and may allow for the owner to file an insurance claim,” he said.
The other bicycle was stolen at the same time and belonged to the registered bike owner’s roommate. Both bikes were returned to their rightful owners.
Ritter is grateful to the man who found the bikes and took the effort to track down help at Boise State.
“He could have easily said ‘not my problem’ but he searched for the owners,” Ritter said. “The willingness of humans to help strangers for no personal gain is one of the most commendable qualities we exhibit.”