A FUNDRAISER says she was just trying to “do some good” when a selfish thief stole her beloved bike.

Sandra Jones was picking up final race supplies from Halfords, in Bath Road, Slough, when her pushbike was stolen - jeopardising her chance to take part in Ride The Night event, a 65-mile charity bike ride beginning at Royal Windsor Racecourse, which took place on Saturday, May 28.

The teaching assistant from Derbyshire and her two friends had locked their bikes together on a car-mounted rack.

But when one friend popped back to check on them after just a few moments inside the store, she discovered Mrs Jones’ bike had gone. The heartbroken cyclist said: “I just thought ‘what am I going to do about all the people who’ve sponsored me?’.

“I was gutted about the bike but I was more worried about letting people down.”

CCTV footage showed the thief had been waiting around the corner of the building before breaking the rack’s security arm and peddling away on the bike.

The manager at Halfords very kindly gave Mrs Jones a bike for her to complete the race. However, a friend also came to the rescue later on with a smaller, lighter bike.

Mrs Jones said: “When I arrived at the venue I just burst into tears. I could see everyone with their bikes and didn’t know how I was going to manage the race.”

Despite feeling incredibly deflated, she found motivation from the all the people who had supported her and helped her to raise £700 for cancer charities.

Mrs Jones said: “I don’t think people realise just how upsetting it is to have something of value taken from you in that way. It’s a very selfish act - it’s not just about claiming it back on insurance. A bike is a very personal thing.

“I was trying to do some good.”

Slough Observer:

The stolen bike was custom-built, consisting of special features to help with the arthritis Mrs Jones suffers in her neck. It is a Koga Sportslady 2015 with Shimano SPD pedals in white and Ergonomic GP3 grips and is registered with the Bike Register.

Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting the crime reference number 43160146028.