A Russian tourist who has been cycling from Mexico to Argentina found himself stuck in Colombia’s capital Bogota Wednesday after his bicycle got stolen.
The tourist, Vladimir Kumov, traveled over 5,300 miles on the bicycle and was on his way to the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires until a Bogota thief took his vehicle while he was drinking a coffee.
“I never thought this was going to happen; it has not happened in any other city I have been,” said Kumov. The tourist described the robbery as the saddest thing he had experienced while cycling in Latin America.
Kumov told newspaper El Tiempo that the first thing he did was to talk to the police and then post a notification on Facebook. So far neither his followers nor the police have been able to find the stolen bike.
On Facebook, he said he was working on his computer at a Juan Valdez shop at the Carrera 13 with Calle 46 when the incident happened.
According to Kumov, his bike is not very expensive but has huge emotional value as he has been riding it since beginning his epic journey in Mexico.
Despite of the theft, Kumov told El Tiempo he has no hard feelings toward the Colombian capital. In fact, he told the newspaper he considered Bogota a great place for cycling because “their bicycle paths are world famous.”
The Russian traveler previously cycled across Europe to promote the use of bicycles. He said his project “Let’s bike it!” was so successful that he decided to repeat the success in Latin America.
Kumov called on people who see his bike to contact him through Facebook.
Location where the bicycle got stolen
Sources
- Un ruso que recorría el continente en bicicleta fue robado en Bogotá (El Tiempo)
- Vladimir Kumov (Facebook)