Traveller's bike stolen - at home

AN intrepid cyclist has spoken of his disbelief after travelling across the world with his mountain bike - only for it to be stolen when back home in Barnsley!

Lee Simmons, aged 39, pedalled across Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia, but after his return to his home town the much-loved bike was taken from his father's garage.

He said: "Nobody thought to steal it in the poorest villages of Asia, then I come back home and it's gone.

"It would be nice to get it back; it does have immense sentimental value."

Mr Simmons' journey also took him through Thailand and India where he saw the sun rise over the Taj Mahal while sitting on the trusty red bike.

He also rode his Cannondale M800 unscathed through the deserts of Rajasthan and the poorest areas of Calcutta.

The bike was stored with two others in his father's garage in Dodworth Road, Barnsley, but last week the garage was burgled and all three bikes were gone.

"At first I thought it was a practical joke, but then I realised they had been taken," he said.

"Obviously people pinch bikes every day but it wasn't just a bike to me - I have so many experiences associated with it."

Mr Simmons, who now runs a cafe in Barnsley, said it would only be worth a few pounds to the robber but was "priceless" to him.