Paratriathlete's bicycle recovered

Officers with the Sarasota Police Department have recovered a bicycle they believe was stolen from a visually impaired paratriathlete last week.

The tandem bicycle, which police say was still in good condition, was located near a commercial property in the 2400 block of 17th Street in Sarasota on Wednesday afternoon.  A resident found the bicycle and called the Sarasota Police Department after he saw a post on the department's Facebook page earlier this week.

"We don't know how it got there or why it got there but we're just glad we found it," said SPD spokeswoman Genevieve Judge.

Jude said the police department is now working to contact the bicycle's owner, who is back home in Chile, and make arrangements to return the bicycle to him.

SPD said the bicycle's owner reported that sometime between 2 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, his tandem Cannondale racing bicycle was stolen from his room at the Quality Inn at 4800 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. 

The bicycle was not locked during the time in question, according to police.  Designed to help a rider accommodate a guide while racing, the bicycle is valued at $8,000. 

The owner, Juan Carlos Villarroel-Gonzalez, was in town for the Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Paratriathlon World Cup that was held Oct. 8 on Bradenton Beach.