Toulouse: victim of three bike thefts, a retiree says he is fed up
Franck * is a sixty-year-old who mostly travels on foot or by bicycle. In four years, the Toulousain has been the victim of three bike thefts. It testifies.
He pedals. Often hours in the day. Tossed between several meetings, Franck *, 67, gets on his bike every day. But in recent years, he has come up against the harsh reality of the streets of Toulouse, bicycle theft, a phenomenon that is growing over time.
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During a passage in the city center, in June 2017, the sexagenarian attaches his racing bike to a pole with a padlock, “of classic size”, according to him. When he returns, 15 minutes later, Franck only finds the wheel where the padlock had been attached.
If, almost a year later, the cyclist that he would never again be a victim of theft, he was wrong. In April 2018, once again in the city center, he securely fastened his new racing bike with a stronger padlock than the last one. This time, he will not find the wheel or the padlock. “I think I dealt with professionals. My bike was gone in less than 10 minutes. The padlock must have been sawn off. It was not their first shot, that’s for sure, ”analyzes the Toulousain.
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Despite these two thefts, the bicycle addict does not dismantle and buys a new one. Especially since I know the risk of making them fly, ”says Franck. But three months ago, last July, he was again the victim of theft. By the time I bought a baguette, I no longer had my bike ”. Despite the fear of not seeing his bike again after having tied it up, Franck will not stop pedaling.