Instead of commuting in by bike this morning, I put my bike on the back of my car and planned to do some errands at lunch and then take it in for some adjustments. I left my bike tied to the bike rack on the back of my car. My office window looks out on the parking lot and my car is less than 50' from my window.

Around 11:00 AM, I looked out my window and noticed my bike was no longer on the back of my car. After checking all over the building and surrounding environs, I had no choice but to conclude that this was not a prank, rather my bike had been stolen. What did not make sense to me was how anyone could be so brazen as to take a bike feet from an office building during the middle of the day. Not only that, they took their time about it and not only untied the bike but tied the ties back up and wrapped the bungee cord up around the rack. All this was done while I was away from my desk for a bit.

After asking everyone at work (still hoping it was a prank) I ended up calling the police and giving them the serial number along with a picture. I also let the local bike shops know about the theft.

Sitting at my desk during lunch (quite depressed and wondering bike commuting and riding was worth it), I looked out my window and saw a young man drive up in a truck and pull my bike out of the back of it. I met him as he was wheeling it over to my car and calmly asked him to explain himself. Turns out, he was doing his friend a favor and picking up his bike for him, only he misunderstood where it was and ended up with mine. When his friend told him it was not his bike, he brought it back. He was very apologetic and quite sheepish.