Blind man’s £2,250 tandem bike stolen
52-YEAR-OLD AND FRIEND STRANDED AFTER THEFT
A BLIND man has been left gutted after his tandem bike was cruelly snatched outside a supermarket.
Nadeem Mughal has been blind for most of his life, but it hasn’t stopped him from growing his confidence and pursuing his passion for cycling. The 52-year-old – who is a member of the Stockton Wheelers Cycling Club – trains for time trials and races on his bike, something he “never thought he’d be able to do”.
However, the Yarm man was left both shocked and angry after his bike was stolen while he and cycling partner Clive made a coffee stop in Billingham, on their cycle from Hartlepool to Yarm. At £2,250, the bike is an expensive loss for Nad, with friends desperately appealing on social media for its safe return.
Nad said: “It gives me enjoyment, it gives me normality because I am blind. For me, it’s something that I really enjoy doing – it helps me get out and it helps me with my confidence. The bike – I was training for time trials and races and that’s what I actually use it for. But I have lost that now and I’m trying to get it back as soon as possible.
“I have different people but the guy who was on yesterday I go out with quite often, say once a week. I go out probably on average twice a
week. On average, we do about 25 to 30 miles, sometimes even more than that. On Tuesday, we went from Yarm all the way to Hartlepool.
“It’s something I never thought I’d be able to do with sight loss. And then all of a sudden, getting out there has improved my fitness and built my confidence. I am with a cycling club, the Stockton Wheelers, and it helps!”
The duo were on their way back from Hartlepool and stopped off in Billingham, where the incident took place. He said: “We parked it up, it was locked, and we went into Tesco because we wanted a coffee and a bite to eat. We were there for about an hour if that. We came back out and Clive, my cycling pilot, goes to me ‘it’s gone.’”
Nad said he initially thought his pal was “winding him up” – but quickly realised that this was no joke and his bike had been taken while he was in the store.
He said his initial reaction was a mixture of both shock and anger, and then came figuring out how to get from Billingham back to Yarm with no immediate means of transport. He said: “We went back into the shop and reported it to the store manager, and it has been reported to the police. We got a train from Billingham train station to Thornaby train station and from there I got a taxi back to Yarm.”
Worth over £2,000, the bike is truly a costly loss, with Nad explaining how it is a special bike in a niche market. He said he might have to go down the fundraising route to afford a new bike should the old one not return, as he does not work.
While the duo were in the shop, they were even planning trips for the future – with a Yarm to Edinburgh five-day trip on the cards.
Clive put the image on Facebook so it could be shared around in the hope of returning the bike to its safe home. At the time of publication, Clive’s post had been shared an impressive 164 times. Hundreds commented on the sad situation, with one user saying “what’s the world coming to”.
Despite the upset, Nad said the overwhelming wave of support on social media has helped. There has also been a sighting of the bike in Billingham, according to one of his friends, so he is hoping something might come from it.
Cleveland Police continue to carry out enquiries into the incident.
A spokesperson said: “The bike was reported stolen to us yesterday. It is described as a specially adapted silver Dolan tandem bike.
“Anyone with information regarding it’s whereabouts is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 05353. Independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously online here or by calling 0800 555 111.”