Thieves cruel charity ride

Bolt cutters used to take MS sufferer’s bikes before Nullarbor crossing

AN interstate visitor to Tasmania has been left devastated after road bikes worth thousands of dollars were stolen from her just weeks before she was due to set off on a mammoth ride for charity.

Tracey Ukosich, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, was camping out in her van which she had parked at the Hobart Showgrounds when thieves snatched the bikes in the early hours of Tuesday.

The bikes were secured to the vehicle’s bullbar and Ms Ukosich believes a tool like bolt cutters may have been used to steal them. She said the bikes are worth a combined $3500.

“I felt violated, and obviously really sad,’’ she said.

“I spent the day in tears thinking what I’m going to do now. I’ve been training pretty much every day to get ready for this ride.”

Ms Ukosich, who travelled to Tasmania in early January and plans to stay until the middle of this month, said riding was beneficial for her illness.

She planned to ride across the Nullarbor from Ceduna in South Australia to Norseman in Western Australia at the end of March — a distance of about 1675km.

“I find riding is the one thing I can do that’s not painful for me,’’ she said.

“I really got into my riding and then I decided I would ride the Nullarbor and raise money for MS. My goal was to ride as many tracks as I could around here.”

But despite the incident, Ms Ukosich said she had otherwise thoroughly enjoyed her time in Tasmania.

“By and large, I love Tasmanians,’’ she said.

“I have had some of the best experiences with some of the people here and I can’t let that one incident take away from that.

“It’s a beautiful state. It's just unfortunate.

“I just want the bikes back.” Police are investigating and said the theft of bikes was a growing problem.