Bike left overnight on street still there

modern-day miracle

By Isabelle Orr, Entertainment Editor

David Glass, the luckiest man in Vancouver, was interviewed by Other Press reporters last Sunday. The reason? The bike he left chained up overnight on Main and Second was still there when he went to pick it up the next day.

“I can’t believe it either,” Glass said. “After this interview, I’m going to go buy a lottery ticket.”

On Saturday night, Glass went on a beer crawl with the boys from his office. After biking to several breweries in the immediate area, Glass decided he was too inebriated to bike the 20 minutes home to his apartment.

“I put my U-lock on and just stood there for a second and held the handlebars,” Glass said. “I knew this would be the last time I ever saw my bike.”

A recent study named Vancouver as the worst city in North America for bike theft, placing it before high-traffic cities such as Toronto and New York. A local census showed that on average, each Vancouverite had the equivalent of 2.8 bicycles stolen from them over the course of a single lifespan.

“That’s why when I walked by the intersection the next day and I saw my bike was still there and intact, I fell to my knees,” Glass said. “I had heard stories of this happening, but I never thought it would happen to someone like me. What are the odds?”

What are the odds? Other Press reporters talked to Danny Denman, owner of Ridin’ Dirty Bike Shop on Cambie Street.

“I’ve been in the bike business for years, and I’ve only heard about something like this happening one other time,” Denman said. “In the case of the last bike, there was a pit bull chained to the front wheel. And even then, somebody still managed to steal the kickstand off of it.”

As amazing as Glass’ story is, Denman is sure it won’t happen again, based on his own most recent bike theft experience.

“I turned around for one second and somebody had stolen both of my wheels,” he said. “I was just holding the frame up in midair. I never even felt a thing.”

Glass considers this a learning moment.

“Lightning doesn’t strike twice,” he said. “I can’t expect my locked-up valuables to not be stolen. And if they are, that’s completely on me. As Vancouverites, we should expect that any bicycle on the street is fair game and we’re just asking for it. It’s not fair, but it’s the society we live in.”

Editor’s note: Glass was asked to give a follow-up interview but was unable to attend as his bike was stolen.