A NEWPORT man had his £500 bike stolen the day before he was due to take part in a charity bike ride.

Dean Rowe, 45, had his green and black Scott Aspect 750 and his daughter’s Apollo Rally stolen from their property at Thompson Avenue in Liswerry in the early hours of Friday morning. Mr Rowe was due to ride the Dalmatian Bike Ride from Brecon to Caerleon in aid of the St David’s Hospice Care on Saturday.

He said: “I was gutted, I went down to the garden and the lock was cut off, the bike was on a hoist so it was off the floor and wasn’t visible from the road. The gate lock was broken as well, they must have know they were there.

“I was quite upset as I didn’t want to let the people down who have already donated money for the ride. My 11-year-old daughter Chloe’s bike was also stolen, she won’t have one to take part in her cycling club now.”

Mr Rowe’s friend came to the rescue and offered him a bike to use for the charity cycle. He said: “I’m just so grateful to the boys, who all offered me a loan of their bike. The ride went quite well, the first 20 miles was difficult as it was incredibly muddy but I managed to raise £242. It will be great if we can get the bikes back.”

Around 250 people took part in the 45-mile journey on Saturday which was the charity’s third annual Dalmatian bike ride.